The Course of History
by CJFAA
Summary: One decision made, one path taken can change the course of several lives. Some people learn that lesson the hard way. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Dull gray clouds unleashed their visible mass of liquid droplets blanketing the sky letting not a single star through. This was the Seattle skyline on a cold and wet evening in May, and it matched his mood to perfection. The journey to his parent's home was a familiar scene. The same landscape, the same smells, and sounds, the same people running to get away from the deluge that had already soaked them to their core. It surprised him how nothing had changed in his eyes despite been away for months. The rain was strangely welcomed after months of stifling heat in three different countries on the other side of the world.

Home had been on his mind for weeks, and though he was on home soil, he wasn't home. He had arrived to find a message from his mother and Sawyer waiting at the private terminal with a tux. He loved his mother, he truly did, but on nights such as this one, he could very easily hire someone to murder her. He chuckled at the thought, the would-be assassin would more than likely end up the victim. Dr. Grey was that formidable. In no time he arrived at his parents' home.

His mother stood in the doorway waiting for him as always. She looked impeccable as always in a blue dress that fit her to perfection. He was sure there was a name for the style of dress she had on, but things of such nature had never held his interest. According to Mia, it was why he was single. He knew it was bullshit, he was single because he chose to be single.

"You know there is nothing wrong with going to these events solo. It wouldn't besmirch your reputation one iota." She had stopped him from getting out of the car to greet her, allowing Taylor to get the car door for her.

"Hello Christian, glad to have you home." She quipped. "And I am aware of that, but unlike some people I know, not all of us are comfortable at such events alone." She appraised his appearance but said nothing. He looked tired, and she knew it. He could see the regret in her eyes for asking him to do this. "We will be there for a couple of hours at the most." He nodded knowing even if she didn't leave he could sneak out after the dinner portion of the event was over.

The ballroom of the Four Seasons was hosting another charity event. A chance for the higher echelon of society to flex their checkbook muscles. Of course, he was there to do the same, but he made zero effort to pretend he loved socializing with these people. Most of these people were his parent's friends and acquaintances who only bothered with him because of who he was in business. There weren't many people his age at such events and the ones that were there simply grated on his nerves. He smiled when he finally spotted Elliot and his flavor of the week. "Elliot."

"Christian, when you did get back?" He drew him into a hug.

"I just did. Didn't even get the chance to go home before mom dragged me here."

"You poor thing." Elliot teased. The two continued talking with Elliot completely ignoring his date.

"Couldn't you have accompanied mom?"

"I would have had I known she needed a date," Elliot admitted. "At the same time, I need to get laid." He added conspiratorially.

"Not if you keep ignoring your date you are not." Christian chuckled as he walked away.

* * *

His hands came down on the alarm clock forcibly. He cracked his eyelids open with some effort. He stared at the alarm clock with some hatred as though it was at fault for him staying out late two nights in a row. He had intended to leave the charity gala after the dinner portion of the event, in the end, he had stayed much later than his mother drinking the night away with Elliot and a couple of ladies. Last night he had again gone out with Elliot and found himself repeating the events of the previous night.

Monday morning was here, and he had only had a couple of hours sleep. He knew there was no feasible way he was getting out of bed and rolled over and went back to sleep.

It took his brain a while to wake up to the deafening noise. "Okay, Okay... I'm up." He bolted up glaring at his mother.

"I allowed you two hours of sleep, you have to go in today there is no excuse. You can glare all you want; you are still going to work."

"I'm not a child, and you can't just come into my room." He groused.

"Boy, you are in my house, and you will do as you are told in my house no matter how old you think you are." For the first time, he looked around and realized he was indeed in this parents home instead of his own.

"How did I get here?" He mumbled to himself. "Fucking Elliot." He forced his body out of the rather comfortable bed into the bathroom. In record time he was showered, shaved and dressed.

"Good morning, mother." He greeted with a broad smile.

"I take it you want breakfast, hence the sudden kiss ass attitude."

"Mother, such language is unbecoming for a lady of your stature." His hand was placed dramatically on his chest as he stared at her with something akin to a horrified look.

"I could very well be talking about a donkey." She quipped. "Your breakfast is in the warmer."

"Oh, you are the best." He planted a wet kiss on her cheeks. "At least you've brushed your teeth, God knows where your lips were for most of the weekend." He groaned knowing where the conversation was going. Yes, he was something of a playboy, but he worked incredibly hard and played hard too. The two as far as he was concerned went hand in hand.

_Where is Elliot when you need him? _

"Where is Elliot?" He asked hoping to change the subject.

"Still in bed, he has concrete that has yet to dry, so he's not needed."

"Lucky bastard." He grumbled.

"Christian, you are twenty-seven years old, don't you think it's time you started giving some serious thought to your personal life. How long do you think you can continue on this route for? Your grandfather would like some great grandkids before he leaves us. I would like some grandkids as well." She was the queen of emotional blackmail.

"Well, Elliot..."

"We are not talking about Elliot, we are talking about you."

"When I meet the right girl I will have no problem taking things seriously." He prayed the right girl wouldn't come along for another decade because he would screw it up.

"I hope so." His mother whispered. "By the way, Bradley Doherty called, he left a message. He will be in Seattle tomorrow and wanted to meet."

"I take it you will meet with him," Christian asked.

"Of course, that man gave me a chance when no one else will. I owe him more than I could ever repay. It will be nice to see him, it has been a while." She smiled at the thought of seeing her mentor.

"Bring him by the office or call me when you guys are done with whatever he wants to talk about. I will have a table made ready for you at the Mile High club." Christian smiled at his mother. "I have to get going, the Kavanagh girl is coming for the interview in a couple of hours." He moaned. "I can't believe you got me out of bed for this."

"Kavanagh is the media king of Washington, it helps if he owes you one. You might one day need him to return that favor. You of all people should know that business is very much about people and how we deal with them." She gave him one of her stern looks that made him feel as though he could wet his pants.

"Okay, got to go... love you." He practically bolted out of the house bumping into his father.

"Hi dad, bye dad."

"Oh yes, bye Christian." His father watched him go with a shake of his head. He chuckled knowing more than likely his mother had put the fear of God into him.

* * *

He'd been gone for three months, and in that time it had all been about business. Despite what his mother thought, he hadn't had sex during the weekend. The women Elliot introduced him to wouldn't put out. Unlike Elliot he didn't have a reputation, he made good use of NDAs and expensive gifts. He was a saint in the eyes of the citizens of Seattle.

He got out his prepaid phone out and scrolled through, he quickly landed on Crystal. Crystal… and he was not unkind thinking this… couldn't hold a conversation with a three-year-old more or less someone her age. That was what he needed this weekend. Someone who didn't talk simply did as told and took a good hard fuck for hours on end. Crystal was the kind of girl that could take it whichever way he liked without complaint.

"Hiya." Her shrill voice said in answer.

"Crystal, Christian Grey, want to meet this weekend." He didn't have time for ideal chitchat.

"Yes, same place?"

"Same place." He confirmed.

"Okay."

"Excellent." He hung up and smiled to himself. "Finally, something to look forward to." He mumbled.

"Mr. Grey." Andrea's distorted voice came over the intercom.

"Yes."

"Your next appointment is here."

Oh shit, the Kavanagh girl. "Send her in." This was one of the days he could seriously strangle his mother. He still couldn't believe she had talked him into agreeing to the interview.

* * *

"I have offended you." Her tone was different… self-assured, surprisingly so.

"Wouldn't you be offended?" He countered. She smiled cocking her head to the side as if to study him.

"No, not if there was a reason to ask that question. Do you not think there is a reason to ask that question?" He felt as though he was now the hunted not the hunter.

"Even if there is, it's an inappropriate question to ask." He countered.

"Why? In this day and age, what is wrong with that question. Would you have preferred if I asked it the other way round?" She intoned with a wry smile.

"What other way?"

"Are you straight Mr. Grey?" She stared at him waiting for his answer. His hesitation in answering had nothing to do with the question itself. She was biting that goddamn lip again, and he was losing it.

"Would you prefer I demonstrated just how straight I am?" She blushed and shifted in her seat. Now he was hunting.

"A yes or no would suffice, but if you feel the need to demonstrate I suggest you call Miss Kavanagh as these are her questions." _Talk about a counter to end all counters. _

Point well made Miss Steele." He conceded. "But I would still love the opportunity to show you just how straight I am." This was one of the downsides to keeping a tight lid on his private life. The world thought he was gay and hiding. He had nothing against gay people and would happily fuck his share of men if he leaned that way.

"I have heard enough horror stories about the way girls have lost their virginity to know I do not want to lose mine bent over your desk." He was sure she hadn't meant to say that out loud by the look of shock on her face. He had no response none whatever as he was in shock as well. A knock on the door snapped him out of it.

"What?"

"Sir, your next appointment is in…" Andrea starts.

"Cancel it."

"But…"

"CANCEL IT." He wanted more time with the delightful Miss Steele.

"Yes, sir."

"That will not be necessary; I have to get back. I have a long drive back to Portland."

"You can't drop that statement about your virginity and leave." He said hoping to keep her in her seat.

"We both know you weren't meant to hear that… even so, what else would you like me to say?" She asked packing up.

"How have you remained a virgin? I mean look at you, you are beautiful." Despite the hideous and shapeless clothes, he could tell she was hiding a beautiful body under there.

"I may be shy, but I have standards. The man that takes my virginity isn't just about to take it and run, and I have to feel something for them." She made her way to the door.

"What do you want?" He asked before he could catch himself. He would for sometime wonder why he asked when it was apparent he was not in a position to give her what she wanted.

"Are you in a position to give me what I want?" _There it was._

"Not in the long term… no, but I could for a weekend. I can with every confidence and assurance say that if you give me the opportunity, you will have no horror stories to tell." Something about that sentence didn't ring true to him. He was lying to himself, and he knew it. A weekend with her would not be enough.

"No, thank you." She said, and he had to admit he was surprised by her answer. Most women bargained in some way to get more out of him. An outright no was not something he'd ever had to contend with.

"What would it take?"

"What would what take?" She asked.

"What would it take for you to at least go out on one date with me?"

"Why?" That's a good question. The answer was simple, he had finally met the right one, but he couldn't say that.

"Why not?"

"I will think about it. I will, after all, see you at my graduation. You will have my answer then." He smiled. She was intelligent and what do you know, he loved that about her.

"That is fair." He smiled down at her. "Allow me to walk you out." He placed his hand on the small of her back as they walked out.

"Christian." He looked up and smiled at the familiar face. "I heard you were back, it is great to see you."

"Hello, aunty Grace." His hand reluctantly left Ana's back and hugged her.

"Ah, there you are." His mother walked down the hall towards them. She stared at Ana the entire time earning an eye roll from Christian.

"Mother, aunty Grace, this is Anastasia Steele, she stepped in for Miss Kavanagh who is currently unwell with the flu." Christian then turned his attention back to Ana with a smile that had his mother lifting her eyebrows. "Ana, this is my mother Dr. Ella Richardson Grey and my aunty, Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey."

"Hello, lovely to meet you," Ana greeted with a shy smile and a blush.

"Hello, it was kind of you to step in for Miss Kavanagh." His mother said. Ana simply nodded as Christian helped her into her coat.

"Christian, we will take Ana down so you can get back to work." There was no room left for an argument where his mother was concerned.

"Thank you, mother." He turned to Ana. "Miss Steele, I will see you soon." With that, he turned and headed back to his office dreading whatever conversation was going to take place in the elevator.


	2. Chapter 2

"So... Ana, what do you think of my son?" Ana opened her mouth only to close it in an attempt to find the right words.

_Can't go insulting the man in front of his mother._

"He's impressive, GEH is an impressive achievement. It's just... it's obvious he's interested. I'm just not sure we are on the same page as in regards to what we are interested in when it comes to each other." Grace thought it was a somewhat diplomatic way of saying he wants sex and I want a relationship.

"Yes, unfortunately, that boy is a whore." Ella intoned nonchalantly. Grace was used to this, Ella was not one to sugarcoat the truth not even for her dear boy.

Ana's jaw dropped at her words. "Oh please, dear, I am not one of those mothers blind to the truth when it comes to their children. I had Christian at seventeen..." that jaw kept getting lower. "I was fortunate and found myself surrounded by some very wonderful people. Had I taken a left instead of right I would have ended up as just another statistic. Every parent wants their children to do better than they did and be better than them. I want that for my son, so knowing he's a whore doesn't change the fact that I want the best for him." The way Ella stared at Ana left her in no illusion, the woman thought she was the best. "Let's be honest, it's his only fault. He will see the error of his ways when the right one comes along." She said proudly as they exited the elevator earning a laugh from Grace.

Ana could only laugh as she drove home. She had to admit she loved his mom, the woman certainly took the 'take no prisoners' attitude to a whole new level. Ana sighed happily when she made it home, Kate's car made driving enjoyable. She loved Wanda, but it was a difficult car to drive, and most days she couldn't get it past forty no matter how hard she pushed. She smiled as she pulled up in front of their apartment. As good as the car was, it had been a long drive, and she was glad to be done.

"So," Kate asked the minute she walked through the door. She looked a hell of a lot better than she did that morning.

"Listen for yourself… and oh I trust you to know when the interview ended." Kate raised her eyebrows at her, but Ana said nothing and shut her bedroom door behind her. Her phone rings, she flipped it open and couldn't help her smile before answering. "José," she exclaimed cheerfully.

"Annie, care for dinner after your shift?" His equally cheerful voice asked.

"Okay, lay it on me."

"Come on, it's just dinner… I cooked too much." José was after something she knew it, but she'd bite all the same.

"What did you cook?"

Carnitas, refried beans and I got some nicely ripe avocados for…" José rattled off her favorites.

"If I believed you weren't after something before I don't believe you now, but I will see you after work." She chuckled before hanging up. She could eat and always say no to whatever he wanted.

She quickly got changed and opened her bedroom door to find Kate about to knock. "Christian Grey offered to take your virginity. Could I have been more wrong about which way he swings." She uttered looking utterly flabbergasted.

"Yep," Ana muttered nonchalantly.

"I'm surprised you said no but glad you did. I get a distinct feeling he's a one night kind of guy." Kate muttered.

"That is why I said no. Anyway, if I don't get going, I'm going to be late." She said running out. Of course, the part where she had agreed to think about it was not on the tape. In truth, she already had her answer, but then riding the elevator to the foyer with his mother and aunty, who did nothing but sing his praises as she walked to the car after his mother admitted her son was a whore. Ana would admit she loved the woman, she was blunt with her truth, and it was surprisingly refreshing. When she thought about it, she would say the same thing about Christian; he was just as blunt with what he wanted. The minute Ana's shift ended, she bolted out the door in a hurry to get to José's. The man could cook, and she was hungry, she hadn't had a thing to eat all day due to nerves.

"I'm sorry… YOU DID WHAT?" José screamed bits of food flying out of his mouth.

"I said no." she shrugged stuffing more beans into her mouth. "Hell, even Kate thinks it's the right decision."

"Let me ask you something. Do you think if Kate had been in your position, which might I add was the plan for over a year she would turn him down? Jesus Annie, take those rose tinted glasses you have on when it comes to relationships off. This is the real world not one of your books. You will never find a more romantic way to lose your virginity. With all his money and the need to get you to give it up, he will go all out and I garanfuckingtee you will never forget for as long as you live. You turned down spending the weekend with Christian Grey. What is wrong with you?" He sighed. "Then again... I would hate for you to compromise your ideals for a man. This is entirely up to you and no one else. We can chip in with our two cents, but at the end of the day it is your decision and no one else's." She could always count on José to be the voice of reason and sense.

"I did tell you about my exhibit." He said avoiding eye contact. _Finally, we get down to the crux of my invite. _

"Yeah, congratulations José you deserve it." She smiles at him proud of his achievements.

"I realized I needed a bit of variety so I was thinking of adding a few portraits and wanted to get your take on it." He looked somewhat nervous.

"Yeah sure." She followed him into his bedroom, which was more of an office than a bedroom. "José?"

"What do you think?" She was staring at seven huge portraits of herself and yet she still didn't believe it was her.

"Erm… it's me." Was her clever retort? She promptly rolled her eyes at herself.

"Yeah." He said trying to stop himself from laughing.

"It's beautiful." She whispered.

"Finally, for years I've been trying to get you to see yourself for the beautiful woman you are and haven't gotten anywhere. Had I known showing you pictures of yourself would be the answer I would have done it years ago. So… can I display it?" She found herself nodding and then quickly in the air been spun around.

"Put me down." She was giggling uncontrollably. Time with José was the best thing as far as she was concerned.

* * *

Ella picked at her food; clearly, she had something on her mind. "I will happily be a sounding board for whatever is rattling around in that brilliant brain of yours." Grace's voice held a teasing lilt, but Ella knew the offer was genuine.

"Ana, I don't know why, but there is something about her that has me praying for Christian to get his act together."

"I don't think you'd need to pray too hard, we both saw the way he was looking at her." Grace was positive Christian could get the girl if he wanted to.

"And I also saw the girl's lack of interest," Ella muttered dejectedly.

"She can be worn round. For once Christian has to work hard to get the girl. I for one think it would do him some good." Grace muttered happily at the idea of Christian working hard to gain Ana's affection. She only wished Elliot would similarly run into a girl he desperately wanted and work to earn her affections.

"Thank you, Grace... you have always been..." Ella shut her eyes to keep the tears at bay.

"I know." They'd been friends for twenty- eight years all because Ella was strong enough to ask for help from the right people.

Ella, on her part, would heap the whole wonderful affair on Grace's shoulders. Both women blamed the other for where they were in life. Carrick and William had gotten used to their wife's back and forth as to who was to blame as though things had ended badly.

_**DECEMBER 1983**_

_Ella knew this was a bad idea, the last thing she needed was some snotty faced nurse turning her nose down at her because she was stupid enough to get pregnant at sixteen years old. In reality, she had no choice, for the last few days she had spotted blood in her panties, and her morning sickness was getting worse. She couldn't keep anything down, not that she had much money for food as it was, rent was more important. _

_The clinic wasn't opened when she arrived. If she had left it any late, she would have been in a queue for most of the day. It was a freezing cold morning, so she was bundled up with practically everything in her wardrobe. She huddled in the doorway, away from the freezing wind and snow. Detroit in December was a nightmare. She had almost slipped when she left the hovel of an apartment this morning because of the ice and snow the landlord hadn't bothered to shovel. _

_She spotted Rory crossing the street and tried to get his attention, but with the howling winds, her voice was a mere whisper. Rory walked over to the girl she had noticed standing in front of the bank. She watched the two talk for a second before she handed Rory something. It appeared to be money, seconds later, Rory dragged the girl into an alleyway and slammed her against the wall waving the stack of money in her face. The girl cowered against the wall in fear, but that didn't stop Rory slapping her so viciously she hit the ground and didn't move. _

_Rory looked up and around. She quickly averted her gaze and stared at the ground hoping he wouldn't see her. That was Rory, her friend, the man who had just given her a hundred dollars so she could eat and pay rent. The one that promised she could pay him back when she started working. In fact, Rory had told her he could maybe find her something in a couple of weeks. This was what Rory had in mind, prostitution. In a couple of weeks it would be obvious she was pregnant. That was what he was waiting for, he wanted her pregnancy to show. She knew people were into all sorts of kink, but pregnant women, or in her case a pregnant teen. She still had seventy dollars of the hundred he had given her. She had to somehow find thirty dollars to pay back Rory because under no circumstances was she going to be beholden to Rory Miller. _

"_Hello." A soft, warm voice said. She had been so taken aback by what she had seen Rory do; she hadn't seen the woman approach. _

"_Hi." She replied. It was clear the cold had gotten to her as her voice shook from her shivering._

"_Let's get inside before you freeze to death out here." It wasn't uncommon in such a neighborhood to find someone dead in a doorway from the cold. Detroit in winter was a nightmare. _

_Grace quickly got the lights and heating on. She grabbed a small electric heater towards the young girl. The girl stripped out of the extra clothing she had worn to stay warm. The clinic wouldn't actually be opened for another hour or so, but Grace had come in early to get ahead of the paperwork. She volunteered here a couple of times a week. Carrick wasn't so keen on the idea of her working in such an area, but without people like her, she hated to think just where girls like the one in front of her would go when they needed help. _

"_I'm Grace, I'm a volunteer doctor here, how can I help you? You have me for the next hour so take your time." Time was a precious commodity in the clinic. Too many people and not enough staff and volunteers. _

"_I'm almost four months... pregnant... I started noticing blood in my panties a few days ago." It took a lot of courage to say those words out loud and to a complete stranger at that. _

"_Okay, it is a couple of spots or..."_

"_A couple of spots." Ella quickly got out. "I'm Ella, by the way." _

"_Okay Ella, a few spots isn't usually an indication of a problem, but I will give you a checkup if you wish." Ella sure as hell wasn't about to say no. _

_For the next half an hour Grace gave the girl a thorough check-up. She was a little underweight, but Grace attributed that to the morning sickness, but overall she was perfectly healthy. "Now, feel free to tell me to mind my own business." Grace chuckled when Ella lifted an eyebrow at her. _

"_I can never do that, lift just one eyebrow." She smiled at the young girl. "What are your circumstances?" Unbeknownst to Ella, Grace had also witnessed the entire sordid affair with Rory, from the minute Ella attempted to get his attention and the girl he had left unconscious in the alleyway. Grace sighed in relief when the girl had gotten up after Rory turned his back to her. People like Rory where a dime a dozen in such neighborhoods. _

"_I live in a shitty apartment that is far more freezing than the outside." Yes, there was this odd phenomenon when it was cold. You felt the cold more keenly indoors than outdoors. "I have no job, and I didn't even finish high school because I ran from home when my parents tried to force an abortion on me. I owe a real nasty piece of work a lot of money, and I have no way of paying him back. " Ella took a deep breath after her little rant. "So... there it is." She added in a whisper. _

"_Would you like a job? This clinic needs a receptionist and a secretary. Frankly, the pay is pitiful so they are not fussy about who gets the job as long as you can answer the phone and take messages. You seem like a clever girl to me who made one mistake. You shouldn't have to spend the rest of your life paying for it."_

"_Yes, I will take the job... thank you." Ella made no attempt to stop the tears falling down her face. _

"_I have an in with the director of the clinic, so don't worry the job is yours. You can start now if you wish." Ella nodded. She surreptitiously pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. Grace caught it but kept it to herself allowing just a small smile to slip._

_She went to her office and grabbed the envelope out of her bag. She had intended to deposit the money at the bank during her lunch break, but right now Ella needed it more. At least it would get Rory off her back. She hoped the thousand dollars was enough to get rid of the pathetic excuse of a man. "Take this, and if you feel that strongly about it, pay me back when you are in a position to do so because I believe you will be." Grace was going to do everything in her power to make sure of it. "Now, let's get you something you can keep down." With that, she walked away not giving Ella a chance to protest._

* * *

As Grace ate her lunch, she could see why Ella had taken such a liking to Ana so much. There was something about the girl that reminded her of Ella. Incredibly strong but reserved. "You know I always knew Christian was a mama's boy, but this just confirmed it." Grace teased.

"What confirmed it?" Ella asked with her trademark raised eyebrow.

"The one girl he shows an interest in is a petite brunette with radiant eyes, except hers is blue. Had they been gray... and she is the spitting image of you." Grace cackled with laughter at the scandalous look on Ella's face.

"That boy is hopeless." She grumbled then burst out laughing. "I don't think he's noticed the resemblance. More than likely an unconscious thing on his part." Ella mused.

"Knowing him, the minute it is brought to his attention he will sabotage things. So it will remain an unconscious thing on his part." Grace said raising her glass in a toast. As Carrick always said those two were the most devious pair he had ever had the fortune to come across.


	3. Chapter 3

Sipping his cup of coffee, Christian spots a young lady at the counter and is immediately reminded of Anastasia. Who was he kidding; she hadn't left his thoughts since the day she fell into his office. Ella would be thrilled if he brought someone like Ana home. The girl was younger than he would have liked, but it didn't take away from her beauty and brains. Something about Anastasia Steele had grabbed his attention and refused to let go.

He was tempted to ask Welch for a background check on the girl but had decided against it; more Welch had said no. His mother had already called Welch and threatened him if he did any such thing. As he strolled back to GEH with Taylor on his tail he ran into his mother stepping out of her car. "Mom." He got her attention as she headed for the building.

"Christian, Bradley sends his apologies, he had to run back to Detroit." His mother had been due to the man earlier that week, but he had canceled due to an emergency at home. Bradley Doherty though managed to make it that Friday.

"That's fine; it would have been nice to see him." She ran her fingers through his hair trying in vain to tame it.

"There is something to be said when your hair is in disarray, but you still manage to look beautiful," Christian grumbled.

"I would prefer a different adjective if you don't mind." Ella chuckled at his indignant look. He looked so much like his biological father and yet it had no adverse effect on her. She didn't look at her son and see him and his abandonment of them. She didn't look at him and see the wrong path her life almost took. When she looked at her son she saw the blessing he was, the fact that she was able to raise him while working and studying was all thanks to the Greys, and Christian being an easy going child in the first place. He was a testament to just how much one could accomplish if they put their mind to it.

"Stop staring at me like that and tell me what Mr. Doherty wanted." She chuckled.

"He is selling up." Christian raised an eyebrow at that news. "Wow... I did not see that coming. We have first refusal." Christian nodded.

"Do you have time for this?" He asked not as her son, but as her boss. Dr. Ella Richardson Grey was the CFO of GEH. She left a rather lucrative job to help her son and Ros build GEH. "What am I asking, with the amount I'm paying you, you should make the time." He'd only dared say it because he was close to his office. The minute the words left his mouth he bolted into his office locking the door behind him.

"I should have aborted your lily white ass as my so-called parents wanted." She shouted after him.

The lock turned, and he came back out feigning hurt. "You didn't just say that."

"I did, and I meant it too." She quipped as she sauntered to her office down the hall. He chuckled and shook his head, if it were your first time hearing them, you'd be appalled, but most knew his mother's story. They had both been featured in Time magazine when he first started GEH. She had told her very moving story, she had sacrificed everything to have him when she was only a child herself. Dr. Ella Richardson Grey was his hero.

* * *

Christian had never welcomed the end of his day as he did at that moment. It had been a long day, and he was glad it was finally over. He was ready to go home, fall in bed after a good meal and dream of the enigma that was Anastasia Steele. He wondered if she had a middle name or a hyphened surname as he did, but never used. He laid his head back on the headrest and shut his eyes as Taylor drove them home.

"Sir, I believe Crystal Anderson is waiting for you in the third-floor apartment." Christian for a minute couldn't understand what she was doing there, but then remembered his phone call to her before Anastasia interviewed him.

"Shit, I forgot all about her." He slammed his head back down and groaned in frustration. "Send Sawyer to get rid of her with my apologies." One, he was too tired to indulge in the activities he thought he so desperately needed at the beginning of the week. Two, he had a distinct feeling a dalliance with her would only come back and bite him in the ass, especially where Anastasia was concerned. Her graduation was a long way off, but he would wait until he had a definite answer before doing anything.

He arrived at the penthouse to find Elliot waiting for him. "Cuzz." He bellowed cheerfully giving Christian a headache.

"Hey, El." He muttered barely above a whisper.

"Shit, you look beat." He could kiss the sky. Elliot having noticed his less than stellar demeanor would not be forcing an outing on him. He had no desire to go out to pick up women. Yeah, he needed to get laid, but as it stood one girl trumped all others and he was determined to get her, and he wanted to be able to say he had remained celibate since meeting her even though he had no idea where things would go between them. Anastasia Steele had turned his fucking life upside down and didn't even know it.

"I was going to ask if you wanted to hit town, but you are dead on your feet. I will leave you be." Elliot stood to leave.

"Nah, stay... have a beer, and I'm sure Gail cooked more than enough." Gail nodded in confirmation.

"You know I will never say no to Gail's cooking," Elliot said with a smile as he sat back down.

"Excellent." No matter how tired he was, he would always welcome Elliot's company. He stared at Elliot and for a moment wondered if he should ask if he had ever experienced what he was undergoing with Anastasia, but then thought better of it. If the answer was no, which it was more than likely that, then his cousin was bound to tease him mercilessly. Then there was the fact that he still had no idea what his mom and aunt said to Anastasia. His mother would always be in his corner, but she also never sugarcoated anything no matter how harsh.

* * *

"Come on Ana." Kate pleaded, but she would not be moved.

"Sorry Kate, but José and I decided a night in, is much more to our liking. If you want to go out, do. You don't need me to be there." Kate would soon find a bunch of hangers-on to spend the evening with. It was the night before graduation; she had no desire to be nursing a hangover the day she was graduating.

"Who goes to a club on their own?" Kate asked throwing her arms in the air in exasperation.

"You," Ana told her bluntly. "I have lost count of the number of weekends you've stumbled in hanging off some guy…" the doorbell rang interrupting her tirade.

"That would be José. I take it," Kate mumbled intelligibly and stormed off into her room.

Ana opened the front door waiting for José to exit the elevator. There were days she really didn't want to deal with Kate's me me me attitude. So just to piss her off she grabbed her coat dragging José back into the elevator before he could utter a word.

"Kate," José asked even though he knew it was. Ana grumbled something unintelligible in answer. Kate was the only one who somehow managed to piss off Annie. It was near on impossible to make Annie angry, but somehow Kate managed it. Of course, they both knew come morning Kate would be full of apologies. If there was one thing Kate was very much aware off, it was that Annie was her one true friend. Sometimes though she needed a little reminder.

They found a booth in the corner of their favorite café. "Look, you know more than anyone Kate's problems aren't what you and I consider problems."

"Rich people's problems." They both said at the same time chuckling all the while.

"Anastasia." Her head whipped around to the voice. No one called her Anastasia, not if they knew what was good for them.

"Mr. Grey." Her eyes showed a certain level of ambivalence towards him, and for some reason, it hurt. Her male companion showed more excitement at his presence. Ana noticing Christian's eyes were on José introduced him.

"Christian Grey, José... José Rodrigues, Christian Grey." She mumbled as though it was an effort to introduce the two.

"Mr. Grey, such an honor to meet you. You, sir, are an inspiration." José was in that moment hit with an idea, it was quite brilliant he'd say so himself. "Mr. Grey, I have my first showing in a few weeks I am hoping you might be able to attend." José handed him a card with the details.

"I will be there, Mr. Rodrigues." He would go because Anastasia would go. José ever the astute individual excused himself.

"Bathroom." He muttered bolting out of the boot. Christian promptly took his seat.

"I get the feeling you are not very happy to see me." Ana truly had no idea how she felt about his presence. "I take it your answer to the date is no."

"Aren't we are getting ahead of ourselves," Ana teased. "After all, I did say you will get my answer tomorrow." She sat back and stared at him. "I take that is why you are in town."

"Yes." He smiled having picked up on the accusation in her voice. Indeed, he could so easily be there for her, but this was a mere coincidence. "My cousin tagged along and insisted on going out. I wasn't in the mood to get drunk, but left the hotel room just to annoy him all the same." She giggled having done the same thing to Kate.

"I did the same thing to Kate. I love her, but she can be infuriating at times." Ana groused.

"I understand. I feel the same way about my siblings and cousins. My cousin Mia, her exuberance can be grating at times." He loved Mia and was looking forward to her coming home. "It's a shame about your answer. I believe we would have had a wonderful time."

"And would that wonderful time involve me dropping my panties?" She raised an eyebrow at him. He smiled internally thinking of his mother. She was the queen of the one eyebrow lift. She could give The Rock a run for his money.

"No, we could spend time just talking as we are." Surprisingly, he meant every word. "It is really a shame you have already decided."

"You seem so sure of that." She challenged.

"I know people Miss Steele. In business, you learn to read people fast."

"And what did you see when I interviewed you in your office that led you to believe I would simply fuck you and be on my way." She had him there.

"Yes, I will admit I read you all wrong. You are an enigma... I truly have no idea when it comes to you. So I suppose I'm not entirely sure what your answer will be tomorrow." He admitted. She was a fucking mystery, and one he was determined to solve, and then maybe he might just stand a chance. "Well, Miss Steele, it was a pleasure seeing you again, and I will see you tomorrow." He twirled José invite in his hand.

"For our date, you can accompany me to José's exhibit... rather you can meet me there." She offered taking him by surprise.

"I would have attended his event either way. I gave him my word." He wondered why he was arguing, wasn't this what he wanted?

"I'm sure, but the offer still stands." She shrugged.

"It's a date." His smile bordered on a smirk of triumph as he walked away. Ana shook her head wondering the kind of women Christian associated with.

* * *

"Any chance of my getting a cup of coffee?" Elliot asked with his trademark smile, only to be met with an impassive stare.

"Sure, help yourself," Ana said before getting back to her book and tea and toast. Elliot stood around looking somewhat lost. In truth, he had expected her to make him one when he asked, not make one himself. He knew how to make coffee because he had one of those fancy machines that made his coffee for him. There wasn't one around, and Kate was still preening herself in the bathroom. The doorbell went and he sighed in relief hoping it was Christian. He was ready for breakfast a couple of hours ago.

"That would be my cousin," Elliot muttered as he got the door, not that Ana was listening. He and Kate had kept her up for most of the night and she was not in the mood to play nice at all.

"The hotel is just down the road, I can't believe your lazy ass called me to come and get you. You do realize I have a ceremony to attend in a few hours." Ana froze at the sound of the voice. Before she could wonder if it was truly him, he barged his way into the apartment and also froze at the sight of her. "Anastasia, well this is a surprise." He said getting over his shock.

"Yes, it seems you keep running into me." She groaned jumping off the stool and into the kitchen depositing her cup and plate in the sink

"Indeed, although I had no idea this was your place..." He turned and glared at Elliot, although deep down he knew Elliot hadn't spent the night with Ana a small part of him couldn't help but wonder. Before he could make a fool of himself by asking, Kate finally emerged.

"Oh... hi." She said at the sight of Christian.

"Kate, this is my cousin, Christian Grey." Kate finally realized why Elliot looked so familiar.

"Nice to meet you, I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it to the interview. Thank you for doing it all the same." She turned to Ana who was heading for her bedroom.

"Ana, can we talk for a minute." She owed a girl another apology.

"No Kate, we cannot as I might finally be able to get some sleep." She slammed her door closed and fell into her bed with a sigh. Of course, she knew she would wake up a few hours later and regret her attitude. Lack of sleep really turned her into a monster, but right now she didn't care. The apartment was quiet and she was hoping for a couple of hours sleep before the graduation ceremony. She was out before she could think about it anymore.

* * *

"Okay, what was that about?" Elliot asked with a smirk as Christian focused on his breakfast.

"What was what about?" Christian asked even though he was hoping Elliot would let the subject go.

"For a split second, you thought I'd been with... what's her name? Anastasia." Elliot teased. "You looked ready to rip my head off until Kate walked out." He was chuckling all the while at the sheepish look on his cousin's face.

"Yeah, I had a moment." He groaned and sat back abandoning his breakfast. "She has gotten under my skin, and there is no prying her out. I have seen her twice, we have talked each time, the first was the interview, and then I run into her last night. Each time I think I'm getting a handle on her, she does or says something that throws me." He smiled. "She is a mystery I am eager to solve, but somehow I know I will never truly get her... and it excites me."

"All that will disappear the minute you fuck her," Elliot says flippantly waving away everything Christian said simply because he didn't understand it.

"Yeah, except I don't want it to go away." He admitted to his stunned cousin. Elliot looked at him in disbelief. "I don't." He reiterated. "I am bored of the empty-headed girls who just can see that they are being used and even when they can, they don't care. I want someone I can take home to meet the parents. Despite all the NDAs and most thinking I'm in the closet... she had me figured out within minutes. She knew I was a womanizer and made it clear it wasn't what she was into. I made a mistake in telling her I couldn't be what she wanted and I have a feeling I will be regretting that for a long time. I want her, not the other way round, so I have to change." He shrugged and went back to his breakfast as Elliot still stared.


	4. Chapter 4

_**JANUARY 1984**_

_"Rory," Ella called out with a smile. In truth, she had been dodging him for almost a month. She had gotten word he was looking for her, but she always said she was running late for work and then bolted. She needed that time away from him for her excuse to work. _

"_Hey, Ella... where have you been hiding yourself?" He asked with a beaming smile that made her want to hurl, in fact, she wished she could all over his expensive shoes. Shame her morning sickness had stopped. _

"_Yeah, got myself a job at the clinic. I went for a checkup and landed a job as well. Got me a desk job, perfect for my condition." She chuckled. "Get to sit on my fat ass all day, it's pretty great." She smiled as Rory's smile slowly slipped from his face._

"_I was going to get you something, I told you... that's why I was looking for you." He worked hard to reign in his anger aiming for disappointment instead. _

_"I know, but I couldn't find you, and well I was getting desperate. I couldn't turn the clinic job down, and you never told me what you were getting me. I couldn't take the chance that it wasn't something I could do for long. Thanks for the offer, but I'm good now." She smiled. "Oh, speaking of good." She pulled her glove off and rummaged around her bag. "There you go. Thank you so much without this I would have been in hell last month." Rory took the hundred dollars with a disbelieving look. He had hoped she would forget to pay him and then he would have had something on her. He would have added a little interest for late payment, even though there was no such agreement. Little did he know no matter how much he hiked it up she would have paid just to be rid of him._

_"No problem, there was no hurry to pay it back." He muttered, his disappointment evident in his voice. His mind was focused on all the money he would have made with her. Right now she was fresh and healthy, and that brought in money.  
_

_"Thanks all the same, got to get to work." She waved and quickly walked away. _

_Rory Miller let his anger show when she turned the corner. He actually threw the hundred dollars and watched the tens scatter in the wind. He stood in the cold trying to figure out how to get her back. Standing outside her apartment building watching his hundred dollars disappear from sight, he resigned himself to the loss and walked away with his hands buried his pockets. _

_Ella kept herself busy with her English homework. She had gotten most of it done the night before even though it wasn't due for another week. Grace had spent the Christmas holidays talking her into finishing high school at least. Ella had no desire to subject herself to taunts and bullying for being stupid enough to get pregnant at her age so she declined. Grace, of course, wouldn't let it go and in the end, Ella couldn't turn down her solution. Ella would do the necessary requirements without attending class and then privately take her SATs all thanks to Grace's husband, Carrick. Carrick's best friend was the headmaster at a school that graciously allowed Ella the opportunity to finish high school without actually attending. This was also made easy with Carrick's little brother William bringing her the work and taking her homework in for her every day. Ella hadn't missed the fact that William clearly had a thing for her despite her circumstances, but right now she had her mind on other things and certainly not another boy. She considered him a friend and that was all she could offer him or anyone else right now. _

_"Ella, come on I'm starving," Grace called as she walked towards her. They had lunch together every time Grace volunteered._

_"Sure, just... here," Ella added her final full stop with a flourish earning a chuckle from Grace._

_It hadn't taken Grace long to realize Ella was incredibly smart, in fact, it had taken mere minutes. Upon been offered the job, Ella organized the reception area into something that resembled a reception area instead of the clutter of junk and paperwork that it was. She was also a wizard with numbers, something that had gotten her side gig at the clinic. She had figured out that if the clinic bought its supplies directly from the various manufacturers instead of a wholesaler, the clinic would save a lot of money. She had then being put in charge of ordering supplies, and with the little funds the clinic had her genius was welcome. Carrick was the most enthused about her ability with numbers and had encouraged Grace to ask Ella about feathering her education. Even if it was just taking a couple of courses at the local community college.  
_

"_What do you think about college?" Ella was grateful she hadn't taken a bite of her sandwich yet.  
_

"_I haven't even finished high school yet." She muttered knowing her excuse was weak._

_Grace chuckled. "You know you have better excuses." Even Ella couldn't help but laugh. _

" _You took me by surprise." She admitted._

_"I find it's the best way to get you," Grace smirked at her incredulous look._

_"I will remember that," Ella whispered. "Right now, my focus is finding a decent place to live before the baby comes. Then I have to also consider childcare if college turns out to be an option. Believe me, I would like to go to college, maybe do something in mathematics. I even picked up a couple of brochures at the community college... it would be a start, but it might not be something I can do now." Grace was glad to see Ella had at least thought about it, meaning getting her to attend college wouldn't be a hardship. Her reasons for not going weren't reasons as far as Grace was concerned._

* * *

"Mr. Grey." Ana greeted as Christian walked over to her and Ray.

"Dad, this is Christian Grey, Mr. Grey, my father, Raymond Steele." Ana introduced rather formerly Christian thought.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Christian said shaking Ray's hand.

"That was a very rousing speech. I also noticed that you barely took your eyes off my daughter the entire time." Ana's jaw dropped as she glared at her father.

"That is true," Christian admitted, as he saw no point in lying. "Anastasia has invaded my thoughts since we met and I am hoping at some point she will give me a fair chance." He looked at her then.

"Hmmm." Was the only response he got from Ray and none from Ana on the subject.

"I should apologize for my less than cordial attitude this morning. Believe me, it had nothing to do with you and everything to do with my lack of sleep." Ray chuckled then knowing just how much of a monster Annie could be when she hadn't slept.

"I took no offense, I understand the need for sleep very much myself, my mother can attest to that. It was a pleasure seeing you again, Anastasia, and nice meeting you, sir. I will leave you to your celebration." With something like a short bow, he stalked off towards Taylor.

"He seems quite the gentleman," Ray muttered. Ana watched Christian go but said nothing. "I also noticed he got away with calling you Anastasia." Ana gave her father a look effectively telling him to shut up only earning a smug smile in response. "Just saying," Ray muttered.

* * *

"I swear if I could go back and be less of a man whore I would do it in a heartbeat," Christian muttered to himself as he walked back to his car. Taylor having head the comment chuckled to himself. "What!" Christian griped.

"We'd all like our past to stay just there... in the past, but that isn't always the case. One small part of yours is currently playing a big role in your future, but as far as I'm concerned, it's a good thing."

"How do you figure?" Christian had stopped and was actually encouraging the conversation.

"Anything gained through hard work is cherished. You are less likely to fuck things up with that young lady if you are working this hard to get her to give you a chance. I have never seen you sweat over a woman... and I will say this, it's a joy to watch. Carry on as you are and pray one of your past women isn't vindictive enough to ignore the NDA." Taylor got the car door for him stifling a laugh at the look of trepidation on his boss's face.

Christian welcomed the drive to his parent's. Boredom had gotten its claws into him since Friday and refused to let go. Elliot and the guys had tried to get him to join them on a couple of outings, but he had declined. Even Taylor had encouraged him to go out, but he refused. Then the question he had refused to ask himself had reared its ugly head. _"You do know you can go out with your friends and come home without a woman hanging off your arm, right."_ Taylor had asked.

He hadn't answered because in truth he wasn't sure he could. Sex had been a constant in his life since he was sixteen, he'd barely gone a weekend without a woman, and in truth, Christian wasn't sure he was strong enough to have one throwing themselves at him and him turning them down. So he found it was best not to put temptation in his way. That also had him questioning his ability to be with one woman, his ability to be faithful if a relationship with Anastasia became a reality.

He pulled into the driveway and smiled at the sight of his sisters. "Hey, Chris." They both chanted at the same time.

"Hey, Disney, do you two know how freaky it is when you two do that?" He teased as they pulled him into a hug.

"Yep, that is why we do it." They uttered at the same time earning a glare from him.

"Now, tell us about this girl mom won't stop talking on about," Aurora asked ever the gossip.

Christian groaned in response. "She came to interview me in place of her friend, and I will admit... there is something about her." Thankfully his mother opened the front door to usher them in saving him from further questions.

"Whatever conversation you three are having can be had inside."

"Hey, mom." Christian hugged her practically lifting her off her feet. He was a foot taller than her; even the twins had a good few inches on her.

"Hey, mom." The twins greeted looking somewhat sheepish. They were meant to be home hours ago, but clearly, that hadn't happened and they had failed to call as well.

"How many times..." A screech cut Ella off much to Ella's dismay and Christian's amusement. Mia practically barreled into the girls. Ella sighed but understood, the girls hadn't seen each other in over a year as Mia had been living in Paris. After all, that afternoon's get together was to welcome her back. The screeching and the cackling reached a whole new level. Christian quickly got out of there before he lost his hearing.

"I see you bailed out of screamfest." Elliot laughed as Christian rubbed his ears for effect.

"Yeah, who knew three sets of lungs could produce such noise." He sat down with a loud sigh.

"You alright there?" His dad asked.

"Yeah, dad, just... I don't know, I feel somewhat lost."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with the young lady your mother had suddenly grown obsessed with?" His father teased.

"She hates me," Elliot muttered before Christian could answer.

"Who hates you?" Christian asked.

"Ana, I don't think she likes me very much. I helped them move yesterday, and I could barely get a word out of her the entire time." Elliot complained sounding rather childish.

"Did you and Katherine Kavanagh keep her up all night again." Christian's tone bothered on a tease, but internally he was annoyed the two had kept Anastasia up.

"Katherine Kavanagh?" The twins shouted at the same time from the doorway.

"You two really need to stop doing that," Elliot mumbled. "Yes, Katherine Kavanagh." He answered.

"Uh," Aurora said.

"What?" Christian asked, as Elliot really didn't care.

"Nothing." Ariel intoned.

"Clearly it is something." Grace joined in.

"Summer Cooper has this huge crush on her brother's roommate at Penn State... well, the roommate is more interested in Katherine's roommate, Ana." At this point, everyone turned to look at Christian.

"Who is the roommate?" Ella appeared more incensed by the news than Christian.

"Ethan Kavanagh," Ariel answered cheerfully. "Ethan has had a thing for his sister's roommate for some time, and was waiting for her to graduate to make his move."

"But that is not the point." Aurora cut in. "The thing is, because of the connection between Katherine, Ethan, Summer and her brother... Summer happens to know that Katherine Kavanagh is obsessed with Chris over here. For years Katherine has been doing everything she can to get Chris's attention, and it hasn't worked."

"Obviously not, since I had no idea who she was until mom insisted I give her the interview." Christian scoffed.

"Well, that explains a few things," Elliot uttered. "When I told her about your interest in her roommate she practically turned green. She kept going on about how Ana wouldn't date someone like you. She said Ana wasn't the kind to give it up to someone who had no respect for women. I got really pissed off when she said that and she backtracked quickly, but the damage was already done."

"She isn't exactly wrong... you two aren't exactly boyfriend material. Women are as disposable to you as underwear as far as you two are concerned." Mia added with a shrug as Elliot glared. "Just calling it like I see it."

"You are so screwed," Ariel added. "Katherine is going to do everything she can to keep Ana away from you. And with the brother involved, she has added incentive." This was not what Christian wanted to hear on a Sunday afternoon, he had enough doubt as it was.

* * *

Ana arrived for her first day earlier than expected, she would admit her eagerness had gotten the better of her, and she had barely slept. Expecting to only find the security personnel on sight she was surprised to see her boss coming from the kitchen with a cup of coffee in hand. "Good morning, Jack."

"Ana, you are rather early." He said with a smile.

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep." She admitted sheepishly.

"Eager, there is nothing wrong with that. Why don't you grab yourself a cup of coffee and then come to my office." She nodded before rushing to the kitchen for a drink. She was sure she would love working for Jack, her interview had gone incredibly well, but he still hadn't been sure she would get the job until the call came.

She got herself a bottle of water and headed for Jack's office. The door was wide open, so she didn't need to knock. "Come in." He beckoned her in. His office was large, there were stacks of manuscripts piled high on the floor. One wall was covered with a bookshelf overflowing with books. She couldn't help but admire his taste, as she had so many of the same books and some she would love to own. Most of his books looked well read and close to falling apart. "I struggle to get rid of books even when they are on their last legs." He said when he noticed her admiring his bookshelf.

"I understand that." She was the same in that in regard.

"Okay, let's get started. Tell me what you think of this." Ana eagerly reached for the manuscript. "This is from a well-known author desperate to leave behind the very genre that has made them famous and very rich." Jack gave no indication as to how he felt about the move the author was making.

"Okay," Ana murmured as she started reading. If it was good, it was good, she didn't care who wrote it.

Jack observed her carefully as she read. Seconds into it, she promptly rolled her eyes and he initially cheered. Minutes later he heard a derisive snort followed by a groan of displeasure. She clearly hated the manuscript, and he couldn't be happier. Ana dropped it as though it had burned her in the end. "This is bar none the most clichéd thing I have ever had the misfortune of reading. Danielle Steel would ridicule at the amount of stereotypical cheesiness in the first couple of chapters. This is trash... just utter trash." She prayed they weren't publishing it.

"Please, tell me you have talked to whoever wrote that out of it." Ana practically begged.

"I have, this is not going to see the light of day. I wanted to see your response to it." He smiled. "Your reaction was pretty much similar to mine. I believe we will work well together." He grabbed a stack of manuscripts on the floor. "Now, these are from would be authors who we pray don't come back in ten years with manuscripts that make you want to stick a pen in your eyes just to avoid reading." Ana giggled despite herself. "Just the first two chapters, and a quick summation on the ones you would publish or entirely sure of. The rest I'm afraid you'd have to write the obligatory rejection letter. I'm sure we have a template somewhere, or you can create your own if you are feeling inspired.

"Wait... you are just going to take my word for it?" A look of incredulity marred her features.

"Yes, your reaction to that manuscript told me all I needed to know. You'd be surprised how many people thought it was romantic. I even had one former assistant tell me it was fresh and brought something new to the genre. Some also gave their opinion based on the fact that the author was already established instead of what they were reading."

"How old is that manuscript?"

"About four years old," Jack answered smirking.

"So it's a sort of litmus test," Ana surmised correctly.

"It's exactly that. I need someone on the same wavelength as me. If I'm checking every work my assistant does, then why have an assistant in the first place."

"Yeah, I see your point." And she did.

"I don't need someone to get me coffee, I need someone who can spot a great read when they read just the first two chapters. I can't go through every manuscript..." he looked around at the stacks on the floor. "I need someone who can spot the obvious waste of time." Ana nodded.

"Okay, I will get right on it," Ana made to grab the manuscripts only for Jack to beat her to it. He carried the lot to her desk and headed back to his office with a smile.

Ana watched him walk away with a smile on her face. Her boss was just brilliant and too damn good looking to boot.


	5. Chapter 5

Ana was halfway through the pile of manuscripts when Jack walked out of his office. "Ana..." she looked up from her computer. "If I have time for lunch so do you. You have one hour, and I expect you to use it... all." She blushed because she had intended to grab a sandwich and get back to her desk. She grabbed her bag and headed out, she had no idea where to go for lunch. She could see a few places around, but she had no desire to try them all over the next few days to find which was best.

"I know that look." Cindy teased. "Come I will show you the best place to grab lunch."

"You indeed know the look." Ana chuckled. They walked less than a block to a little sandwich deli. The different combinations on offer meant you'd more than likely need an entire year to try them all.

"So, how are you finding it so far?" Cindy asked as Ana was perusing the different meats on offer.

"So far so great, it's everything I dreamed publishing would be. Jack is so far proving to be a fantastic boss." She said having finally decided on what meat she was having.

"That he is, and from the smile on his face as he left for lunch I'd say you are here to stay." Cindy's words had her beaming. "Since Alex got promoted to junior editor Jack has struggled to find someone. You are the seventh one this year."

"They couldn't all have been that bad." Ana looked aghast.

"Oh, you'd be surprised." Cindy looked scandalous. "The last one was the worst. You've noticed Jack keeps his office door open." Ana had noticed that though she didn't think anything of it. "Yeah, she came onto Jack... well, at least that was all Elizabeth will tell us, but I suspect she did more than that." Jack looked shaken up. Even heard rumors he pressed charges; you don't press charges just because your assistant hit on you."

"No, not if they hit on you. But if you are rejected and don't take no for an answer and go on to do something stupid then who knows." Ana muttered while contemplating adding bacon to her sandwich.

* * *

"Ana, I'm hoping you can join us tomorrow after work for a few drinks to celebrate your first week." Jack pulled on his jacket ready to head home. Thanks to Ana, he had made it home at a decent hour for the last couple of days. The girl was brilliant and a godsend, unfortunately for Jack, he'd lose her in a year or two when she got promoted.

"Yeah, I can," Ana beamed as she waved goodbye to Cindy.

"Excellent, enjoy your evening." She nodded making her way to Kate's car. With Kate away, she at least had a car.

The drive back to Portland for José's showing felt a little nostalgic. It had her thinking about Christian and the drive she made back home after meeting him. A big part of her wanted the date to go well. In the last week, she had all of a sudden found herself wanting to be with him, even though a big part of who he was was warning her off. And there was Kate who had learned from José that Ana had agreed to one date with him. That conversation had Ana questioning so many things.

"_You are going on a date with Christian Grey?" Kate bellowed making José wince at the sound of her screeching voice._

"_José invited him to his exhibit... so I agreed to a date to make sure he shows up. I mean if everything you say about him is true, him being there will help José a great deal." Kate nodded in understanding. Ana though didn't miss the look of utter relief on Kate's face. She knew Kate well and knew that look, so she pushed._

"_And let's be honest; I could pick worse a man to lose my virginity to." Kate's eyes bugged out. _

"_You what!"_

"_He seems incredibly eager to date me, and hell, his mother and aunt were even fighting his corner. I mean when a guy's mother and aunt fights his corner the least you could do is give him a chance." Ana shrugged. _

"_Ana, I... erm... look, this morning you were pretty pissed with me so you may have missed it, but when I saw Christian... and Elliot introduced him as his cousin I nearly freaked out until I realized he didn't recognize me. I had a one night stand with Grey last summer, we were both pretty far-gone, and well I wasn't entirely surprised he didn't recognize me, it's his thing. I can guarantee I'm not the only one he doesn't recognize. Just be careful, he will do what he needs to do and say to get what he wants. The difference with me is I didn't expect anything from him. Elliot though, I like... and see us going somewhere... I am just so scared he will find out about his cousin and me."_

"_Kate, Elliot isn't exactly known for keeping it in his pants, I doubt he will be all that angry about you and Christian. And anyway if you don't tell him, how will he ever find out."_

Of course, Ana didn't believe a word out of Kate's mouth. She knew if Kate had indeed slept with Christian Grey, she would have called Ana the minute she could to brag. Kate had spent years going on about the Grey family and yet she spends the night with Christian Grey, the one person she talked about more than any other and no one knows. Kate had never been the kind to keep quiet about her conquest, and yet somehow she was quiet about Christian Grey. Nope, Ana didn't believe her for one second. She felt sorry for Elliot, as she was sure Kate was using him to get close to the family and to the Grey she really wanted.

* * *

Christian stared at his watch for the umpteen time earning a chuckle from his mother. His parents had surprised him when they had turned up at the gallery. Apparently, it was something they were already doing, and it had nothing to do with him. His mother had a love for landscape photography, so he wasn't at all surprised to find them here looking for something new.

"Considering this is her friends showing she will show up," Ella said before walking away as she spotted Ana coming through the door. She'd already done her bit for him in regards to Ana. What happened next was up to him and Ana and no one else.

"How early were you?" Ana teased coming up behind him.

"A lady shouldn't be kept waiting." He quipped eyeing her up. She looked incredible in a figure-hugging maroon number.

"Let me say hello to José." Christian nodded and followed.

"Annie, you made it." José cheered.

"You say that as if my been here were ever in doubt." She hugged him and Eve, his girlfriend.

"Mr. Grey, this is my girlfriend Eve Morales."

"Nice to meet you." He said shaking her hand. "José this is impressive." He added.

"Even more so when I sell out," Jose said with a wink. "I'm sure you will find a few things that you will like." Ana didn't miss José's teasing lilt in his voice.

The two walked around admiring José's handiwork. "I always knew he was good, but this is impressive," Ana murmured.

"He has got a good eye," Christian said in agreement.

"I could have sworn I saw your mom," Ana blurted out.

"Yes, you did. Mom has a love for all this, and well, my father loves to indulge her. It took him a while to get my mom to date him, so he doesn't take her for granted and indulges her every whim. Lucky for him, she doesn't have many whims." He smiled at the thought of his parents. "What about yours? I know nothing about you." He stopped and realized it was true. He knew nothing about her as he hadn't been allowed to get a background check.

"Well, my parents are divorced. Ray, my dad, is the only father I've ever known, but he's not my biological father. My biological father died the day after I was born. My mother is on husband number four and currently lives in Savannah. I love her, but she wasn't cut out for motherhood." Ana looked up at him. "I thank God every day for Ray... without him, I have no idea where I'd be today." Ana loved Carla, but scatterbrained didn't even come close to describing her.

"My dad isn't my biological dad either. The sperm donor abandoned my mother after he got her pregnant. He had plans, and a kid didn't factor into those plans." He was surprised to find himself sharing so freely. "How is the world of publishing?" He quickly moved on.

"It is everything I dreamed it would be. Jack, my boss, is absolutely brilliant. I could easily have landed in a place where the most I did was get coffee and write the rejection letters. He isn't just my boss, he is also teaching me the business side of things, takes me to meetings when things aren't too hectic." She smiled down at her as she gushed about her job and boss. He was a demanding boss. But he knew his employees talked about him in the same vein. He felt a certain amount of pride for her accomplishments. At that moment he knew if she ever gave him a chance he'd indulge her every whim. Above all else, he'd keep it in his goddamn pants.

"Well, Miss Steele, I am happy for you." Looking at him, she believed he truly was happy for her.

They walked around until they came across the portraits of Ana. "Oh, crap... I forgot about this." It seemed so long ago when José asked to use the pictures he'd taken of her.

"Like I said the boy really has a good eye."

"I need a drink," Ana moaned.

"I will get you one." He chuckled at her demeanor. She had nothing to be ashamed off; he believed it captured her true self. The girl you got to see when you finally got to know her. He suddenly understood some of the comments that were being thrown at her as they walked about.

Unfortunately, the short distance to the drinks table was fraught with sycophants. When he got back to the portraits section, Ana was nowhere to be found. He walked back to the main gallery space hoping to find her.

"Hey, have you seen Anastasia?" Christian asked José although he doubted he did considering the lip lock he just interrupted.

"Portraits," Eve answered instead.

"Honestly, you two need to get a room." He teased as he walked away.

He realized the portraits space went around the corner, something he had missed earlier. Just as he rounded the corner, he heard Ana. "How old are you?" He heard her ask.

"Twenty- nine." Christian had no idea who Ana was talking to.

"One of Oscar Wilde's most known quotes is 'with age comes wisdom.' What people don't know is that it's just the first half of that quote, the latter half is 'but sometimes age comes alone. " She was silent for a few seconds, and he wondered what was happening. "Oh please don't look so insulted. It's a statement of fact hence, it's not an insult. You are old enough to know better, and yet you chose to walk up to me thinking some statement about your one night stand with Christian…" Shit, just what he didn't need, especially on this night, the one night he had to prove himself to her. "Where did you think that statement would get you? I chose to date a man who has slept with half of Seattle. Do the math; do you think you are the first woman he's fucked that would try to rattle my cage if I choose to continue dating him? I have something you clearly wanted, and he didn't give it to you and despite knowing that you still can't get it now, means nothing. If you can't have it why should I? This is why men feel so comfortable tearing down women just to climb out of the hole they dug themselves in. How many times have you heard some guy say 'baby you are nothing like those women, they were just a means to an end… they meant nothing. Why wouldn't they when women are so busy tearing each other down?" He had heard those very words used by men all the time. Hell, it was Elliot's get out of jail free card.

Realizing the conversation was over he made his way over to them. He didn't recognize the woman as she walked past him with her head down, she didn't spare him a glance. He smiled giving Ana her glass of champagne and as tempted as he was to ask her about what the woman had said to her in regards to him, he didn't.

"Are you okay?" Ana asked looking up at him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Yeah, just thinking about us." He said with a smile of his own that was as superficial as hers. A few minutes ago he had been sure of himself and the date, but now he wondered if she'd agree to another date.

Ana hadn't been sure about him at all. A part of him suspected she had agreed to the date to make sure he attended José's exhibit. The woman in question had broken her NDA, but right now he couldn't think about that. Not that it would make much of a difference. The point of the NDA was so they didn't talk, so suing them and making it public defeated the purpose.

Who wants to marry a guy who has slept with so many women he can't even remember some of them. If men were held to the same standards as women, Ana wouldn't be on his arm. Would Ana have held his attention if her past rivaled his own? Would he have been as interested if it hadn't been for that slip up during the interview? He was ashamed to say his initial interest in her had being about one thing and one thing only, her virginity. Then the weeks he had waited to see her, his views had changed. He was so stuck in his ways he had said the wrong things in that interview. She had finally given him a chance, but now he found himself wondering if he had squandered that chance before he had truly had an opportunity to make an impact.

"You seem preoccupied." Ana's words pulled him out of his musings.

"I heard your conversation with that woman." He blurted out.

"Who was she?" It was such an innocent question, but fuck if his stomach didn't just turn itself inside out.

"I have no recollection of her." He answered honestly.

"I see." Ana wasn't all that surprised by his answer.

He knew what she was thinking. There had been so many women he didn't remember them all, and it was true.

* * *

"What happened?" Ella asked as she rubbed his back. She had never seen her boy so down before.

"I asked her to join me for dinner, but she declined, saying she had an early morning and needed to get home." He shrugged running his fingers through his hair, but his mother knew there was more to the story.

"You can join us for dinner and tell us what happened if you want." William took his wife's hand leading the way to a small restaurant.

This was not a conversation Christian wanted to have with his parents. His parents and his aunt and uncle had always told him and Elliot they would one day rue their behavior. Tonight his cavalier attitude towards women had bitten him in the ass in ways he did not expect. Of all the ways he could imagine him fucking up the date, this was not it. A part of him would have felt somewhat better if he even remembered the woman who had ruined his night.

With hunched shoulders, he fell in the chair facing his parents. "What happened?" This time his dad asked.

"A woman I had a dalliance within the past confronted Ana." Ella sighed, her disappointment clear on her face. Christian averted his eyes unable to look at his mother; he'd rather her angry than disappointed.

"What is this need you and Elliot have to sleep with every woman available? What was the point of all those women? Did you gain anything from it, other than padding your inflated egos? Those NDAs are clearly not worth the paper they are written on if one of these women can just screw you over given a chance. What woman do you know will put him up with a man that has slept with half the population in the state she lives in? " William run his fingers through his hair in frustration. "I know for once you were serious about someone, but son, you have no one to blame but yourself for what transpired tonight." He added.

"I know," Christian muttered. It didn't mean he wasn't going to find the woman in question and put the fear of God into her.

"I know you never thought your whoring around would ever truly have a negative effect on you, but you'd be surprised to find that even the smallest of decisions can have a real effect on not just your life, but the lives of those closest to you.

In some alternate universe, you are Christian Richardson, a drug dealer because Rory Miller got his way. In another, you are Christian Grey because Grace adopted you after I was deemed unfit to be your mother or worse dead. In another, you are as successful but troubled from a childhood where again Rory got his way.

I made a simple decision on one cold December morning, and the trajectory of my life changed. Had I chosen not to go to that clinic that morning because it was too cold or because a little blood means nothing we would not be sitting here as a family that much I'm sure of. One decision made, one path taken can change the course of several lives. It seems you my dear boy, needed to learn that lesson the hard way." Christian had heard this line several times and never truly understood it until now. "The choices we make are felt long after the actions have been swept away by the winds of time." She ran her fingers through his hair trying to tame it a little. "Now, where is that waitress I'm starving?" Ella asked earning a chuckle from the two men in her life.

Christian for a few hours was able to put the disappointment of the premature end to his date with Ana and enjoy an evening with his parents. It was a rare thing to just spend time with them. His sisters had a knack of hoovering up all the attention anytime they were in a room.

His past with woman was something that all of a sudden seemed to shame him. Well, that was not entirely true, attempting to have a decent conversation with one of the women in his black book had opened his eyes to the frivolousness nature of his private life. His whoring ways was something Ana had cottoned onto half an hour after meeting him. He offered her a weekend as he did all the women he met, and for the first time, he was turned down. He was surprised by her rejection. He avoided women like Ana and opted for the likes of Crystal, women with little morals, women who threw themselves at Him. He wouldn't be caught dead with the likes of Crystal, but he was all too happy to stick his cock into them multiple times. A past he felt he was paying for now.

_If anyone ever tells you men can get away with whoring, then they truly haven't yet come to a point in their life where their past is now a fucking hindrance. _


	6. Chapter 6

The one morning she needed to get to SIP early she found herself running late. Thursday had taken a lot out of her, she couldn't even go to dinner with Christian and that didn't help her mood. Her long day had caught up with her, and she needed to drive back to Seattle as it was, so she sadly declined. Worse, she had realized this morning she didn't have his number, and he didn't have hers. If she hadn't heard from him by Monday, she'd have to think of a way to get his number then. She had no desire to call Kate, who was on a family vacation to ask for Elliot's number, who would, in turn, give her Christian's. She had realized that he at least deserved a chance. Sex wasn't on the menu and if he wanted her as much as he claimed he would wait until she was ready. Those had been José's words to her when she had worried about that. Well, they'd soon find out how true that would be.

She was seriously running late and unfortunately, Wanda was on her last legs, so that was out of the question, and so was the bus as she had just missed it. As luck would have it someone stepped out of a cab in front of her and she promptly jumped in with a huge sigh of relief. The driver chuckled in amusement.

"Where to, young lady?"

"SIP." She allowed herself a small giggle at her sudden luck.

"Running late or using work to get away from someone?" He asked.

"Running late, but thanks to you I might just make it." She hadn't missed the fact that he'd put his foot down a little.

"Thank you so much." Her thanks included a nice little tip. The trip had cost just over five dollars, and she had handed over ten. "Keep the change."

"Thanks." He doubted she heard him as she was already running into the building.

"Ah, Ana just in time. No time to waste, let's go." Jack was taking her to a meeting with SIP's bestseller. SIP had partnered with a small publishing company in London to release her books in Europe. Stephanie Laurie was a bestselling fantasy writer. Her books about the sole human girl in a supernatural world had spawned six books and a seventh was in the works. She was on her way to London to promote book six so they had a couple of hours with her before she had to catch her flight. "Her tour of Europe means I will not see her for months. This is a chance to catch up, look over what she has for book seven so far and then we can take it from there. She is pretty easy going and very open to suggestion."

"I would think so, considering you saved her from committing career suicide four years ago," Ana blurted out earning a laugh from Jack.

"So you figured it out," Jack said still chuckling. Four years ago Stephanie Laurie had thought about killing off the character that made her rich and famous to focus on a new romance novel.

"Yep, it took me a minute to figure it out because the plot was so bad, but once I was over that, I realized the writing read very familiar. I was just falling asleep that night when it hit me. I still can't believe she churned out that drivel. Romance is not her thing, not surprising because I have always thought the weakest points in her books was the romantic aspect." Ana was just giving her opinion not realizing just how happy she was making Jack.

"You really know your stuff. If you are not a junior editor in a year, I will chew off my left arm." Jack praised as he parked outside the Fairmont.

* * *

"I can't believe you told her I knew she wrote that drivel." Ana nearly screeched in the car on the way back to the office.

"You are the first person to make that connection, of course, it is worth mentioning." Jack retorted.

"Not to the author, it doesn't." Now she was screeching.

"Maybe you didn't notice, but she went from barely acknowledging you to having a conversation with you on her work. An author that has topped the New York bestselling list with all six books asked your opinion on how she could improve on the romantic aspects of the story." Jack looked rather smug as Ana had nothing to say to that.

"When you put it that way." She admitted begrudgingly.

"You know your shit, Ana. Let's get something to eat while we go over what we have for book seven so far."

"Tell me to mind my own business if you wish..."

"My former assistant." Jack looked at her with a sly smile.

"It's just... what happened to her?"

"She was fired. For weeks I knew she viewed me as more than her boss. She was good, not as on the ball as you are, but good. I believed if she had focused less on getting my clothes off and more on the job she would have been just as brilliant as you are. She threw away what could have been a great career over a misplaced obsession."

"Didn't she notice the ring on your finger?" Ana asked surprised. Yeah, Jack was ridiculously good looking, but he was a ridiculously good-looking happily married man. Ana had never seen someone so happy to get home to his kids before they went to bed. The last few months without an assistant had forced Jack to work long hours and missed seeing his kids some times for days.

"No, she didn't care, and one day she had clearly decided she'd waited too long for me to make a move. She came on to me, and I turned her down reminding her I was happily married. She actually got pissed and then forcibly tried to unbutton my shirt. I pushed her away, she fell, then cried foul. Lucky for me her own mouth was her downfall. She had made clear to several people how much she was determined to get me in the sack. In the end, firing her was just mostly a formality; she stopped coming to work, humiliated in the end." They pulled into the parking lot of small Spanish restaurant.

"They are quite good about me hogging a table for hours on end." Jack chuckled as they got out of the car.

* * *

Back at work the rest of Ana's day went rather quickly, as Ana reviewed more manuscripts and wrote a short summary for each. Her confidence in herself that afternoon seemed to have skyrocketed. Jack's belief in her ability had finally gotten through to her. The hours spent at the restaurant reviewing the manuscript had instilled some confidence in her as well. She knew what she was doing, and it was time for her to believe in herself a little more.

"Drinks time." Someone bellowed as Ana shut down her computer.

"Indeed," Cindy muttered. "Come on Ana, let's go." She grabbed her coat and followed Cindy out.

"What are you having?" Jack asked Ana as they approached the bar.

"Jack and coke, I don't have to worry since I'm not driving." She leaned against the bar ready to unwind.

"Unfortunately, I do, so it will be just the one for me." Jack got himself a pint of Guinness. "Do you not know how to drive or do you simply not have a car?"

"I have a car, but it's on its last legs. I will have to find time to take it to a junkyard. I'm surprised it has lasted this long. That beetle is older than the two of us combined and a few more years." She joked as Jack reached for this phone furiously typing.

"Is this your car?" Ana's eyes drifted to the price in the corner and would have choked had she had a drink in her mouth.

"Yeah." She whispered.

"No junkyard... my God, they would not have offered you anything near the actual price." Jack was still on his phone texting. "Does it run?"

"Yes, it's not very fast, and it's one hell of a gas guzzler."

"I have a friend who is willing to buy the car, or you can take it to auction. You are likely to get more at auction, but after taxes and auction fees you will more than likely end up with the amount Dean is willing to offer." Jack showed her his phone then. Dean was willing to offer twenty-seven thousand depending on a couple of things. "Don't worry about the couple of things nonsense, he will give you the twenty-seven. He's trying it, and he knows it."

"I will go with your friend," Ana murmured. She couldn't believe her car was worth that much. She had been willing to dump it at a junkyard for free, only to find it was worth almost thirty grand.

They spent an hour with the guys from SIP, she was also invited on a night out with Cindy and a couple of others the following evening. She happily accepted, she needed friends in Seattle; she sure as hell wasn't going to chain herself to Kate.

Jack gave her a ride back to her apartment. "It's in even better condition than I expected." He murmured as he looked under the hood.

"Yeah, my friend José fixed her up anytime it played up, or else I would have gotten rid of it ages ago.

"I can wait with you until Dean gets here, to make sure he hands over the right amount." Ana sighed gratefully.

"Good, let me call home and let them know where I am." Ana led the way into the apartment. She was so delighted by the news she failed to notice the Audi parked across the road sadly looking at her and Jack as they entered her apartment.

* * *

Elliot stared at his cousin with a worried expression. Christian wasn't the PDA type, and yet here he was sucking the face of a girl whose name he was sure his cousin didn't know. He was clearly beaten up about something. Elliot had no idea what it was about, and since Christian refused to talk there wasn't much he could do. This was the kind of behavior his cousin avoided at all cost least it sullied his reputation and in turn, GEH. Whatever had happened, Christian had decided recklessness was the way to deal with it, and Elliot was for once, not the encouraging cousin, but a worried one.

Christian pulled his face away from the girl to down his next shot of tequila. He froze as he found himself looking into the bewitching eyes of Anastasia Steele. He slammed his shot glass down, practically pushed the girl off his lap and sauntered up the stairs to the gangway Ana was on.

"Ana." Christian couldn't help but admire everything about her. She had on a blue backless dress with red patent shoes. It wasn't as revealing as most, but she looked incredibly sexy.

Ana, on the other hand, was struggling to comprehend what she just witnessed. She had just caught him with another woman and he looked rather smug about it. She realized she was hurt by his behavior, but hid it well. This was the last thing she expected to see on a night out with new friends. She wasn't the clubbing type, but she thought it was time to broaden her horizons and had gladly agreed with the idea of coming to the club.

"Christian, out on a date?" She didn't quite manage to hide the hurt in her voice, not it mattered because he missed it.

"God, no. The only woman I ever tried dating was you, and that ended in disaster." She looked entirely perplexed by that assertion, and he saw it. His mouth suddenly went dry, his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest, his stomach was doing somersaults, and he all of a sudden felt queasy. He had read the end of the date entirely wrong, he now knew it. Meaning whatever he saw on Friday wasn't what he thought either.

_Oh God, no._

He needed to clear things up quickly. "I thought after the encounter with one of my... past dalliances... I mean you said no to dinner." He was scrambling.

"I said no because I had an early morning. I had to be at work by seven to accompany Jack to a meeting with an author who only had a few hours on a stopover to London." It wasn't looking good for him, and he knew it. "I was really disheartened I couldn't go, but I was tired, and I had a long drive back home... anyway, it doesn't matter now." Her eyes shifted back to the dance floor staring at the girl she had just caught Christian with. He followed her eyes and winced at the sight of the girl looking up at him with a come hither smile.

"It's just that I thought... I came over Friday to apologize and ask for another chance and saw you entering your apartment with a man with shampoo commercial hair."

Ana looked up at him incredulously. "That was Jack, my boss, who was helping me sell my car which turned out to be a vintage car worth quite a bit. He stayed with me until his friend came to pick it up so I wouldn't get ripped off since I know nothing about cars. He even had to call _his wife _to inform her he would be late getting home and why." He had screwed up monumentally.

"Ana, I..."

"I was on cloud nine after our date, and promptly started kicking myself because I hadn't given you my number, but I knew where you worked. I was coming to see you on Monday if l hadn't heard from you by then, but I guess I don't have to bother now. Looks like I dodged a bullet." She muttered walking away.

"No, no... Ana, this isn't what it seems." It was the wrong thing to say, but he was lost and couldn't figure out how to get himself out of the mess he had created.

"You mean this isn't you out sticking your tongue down the throat of the first pretty thing in a skirt after you thought I was out on a date mere hours after ours. Did you all of a sudden forget the kind of girl I am? Even if you had, why didn't you come and talk to me before you decided I wasn't worth fighting for?" That was exactly what it was. This time she walked away from him, he didn't stop her. What could he say? She is nobody. She doesn't mean anything. You are the one I want. Yeah, that wasn't going to get him very far.

He didn't bother to go back down to the VIP area. He went through the back entrance and down the fire escape into the alleyway. He looked a sight as he crossed the road into his car, without a word Taylor drove him home. He stared out the car at the near-empty city streets in anger, he had never been so angry at anything more or less himself. He had fucked up epically, and he wasn't sure how to fix it. How could he have gotten it all so wrong?

His phone kept beeping as he made it home. He knew it was Elliot and the guys, but right now he couldn't deal with any of them. He jumped into the shower desperate to wash the stink of the night off him.

Sleep didn't come as quickly as it usually did, and when it did, the nightmare of his night came to him in vivid color with the added weirdness of dream state.

* * *

In the morning, Elliot found him with a bowl of soggy cornflakes in front of him. "Okay, are you going to tell me why you ditched us without so much as a word or why you look like you've lost GEH?" He looked up at Elliot and with resigned sigh launched into the tale of his prodigious level of idiocy.

Elliot stared at his cousin for what felt like hours unable to find the words that showed that he understood what he'd just heard. "So... let me get this straight." He cleared his throat. "You thought the date ended badly but turns out she thought it was a great date, so much so, she was kicking herself for not giving you her number." Christian nodded. "And then on Friday you saw her with her boss and jumped to a conclusion. That conclusion being she was on a date."

"Right," Christian whispered.

"But it turns out her married boss was helping her sell a vintage car." Elliot didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry at the series of events that led to his cousin looking like death warmed over.

"Okay, you have one hell of a groveling session in front of you. Let's start with you going over to hers today with the largest bouquet of flowers known to man and an apology to start. Have a card ready in case she doesn't open the door. No, actually don't go there. An apology, you admitting to what an idiot you are and an offer to talk... and then you wait and this time you do so by your lonesome." Christian had to admit it was more than he had thought off. He had resigned himself to never getting Ana, and that was that, but Elliot's idea was so much better.

"Okay, I can do that. Where do I get flowers and one that will deliver on a Sunday?"

"I don't know," Elliot muttered with his mouth full, having already found his way to his fridge.

"Do you think Mia or Disney will know?" Christian wasn't the kind of man that panicked, but right now he was on the verge of it.

"How will they know? They don't buy flowers they receive them."

"Ask uncle Bill or dad they buy them all the time." Elliot smiled at his bright idea.

"What do I tell them? I can't tell them what I did." He truly was panicking now.

"No, there is absolutely no reason the parentals ever need to know about this. They will think it's you apologizing for the bad date." Elliot muttered mockingly.

Despite Elliot's words he chickened out and texted his father instead. William replied with a couple of addresses and a message telling Christian it was the right move.

"There are a couple of places, but I will have to deliver it myself," Christian informed Elliot as he ran to his room to get changed.

"Why can't one of your security guys do that?" Elliot asked his mouth still stuffed with food.

"Dear lord, I'm all over the place this morning." Christian lamented. "Of course, they can." He rolled his eyes at himself.

"Had you explained this to me yesterday I would have sent your ass home," Elliot said as they got into the elevator.

"Well, we've already established I'm an idiot, so there you go." As the elevator descended Christian prayed for the miracle he would need.


	7. Chapter 7

As shitty as was feeling, she still got ready and headed to lunch at Jack's. His wife, Elizabeth had invited her over for lunch. Her weekend had started so well, She had sold her car for a lot of money. On Saturday she had gone shopping with Cindy and filled her near-empty wardrobe. She was done borrowing clothes from Kate. She now had a little money to spend, so she did. In the afternoon she had gotten a much-needed haircut. As much as clubbing wasn't her scene, she was having a blast until she saw him. Her excellent mood evaporated at the sight of Christian and another woman.

Ana wasn't in the right frame of mind for company, but she didn't see herself staying at home on a Sunday afternoon and wallowing in misery.

"I'm so sorry, Ana." Elizabeth commiserated as she took Ana's hand in her own.

"Yeah, you and me both," Ana muttered dejectedly. "I actually thought he meant all those words about... anyway it's done and dusted before it even began." Ana had been surprised by how much Christian's betrayal had hurt.

"Okay, I'm going to say it, and please don't kill me." Jack pleaded. "This is the man most people thought was gay, you even said it was what started the conversation between you two outside the interview," Ana nodded. "So, the day after he thinks you are dating someone else, you see him at a club doing shit he has never been caught doing. Can you imagine how discrete this guy had to be for most people to believe he is gay?"

"What are you saying?" Elizabeth asked.

"He was distraught, devastated, destroyed, demolished..."

"Okay, English professor get to the point," Elizabeth grumbled.

"He went out and did something stupid because he'd lost the one thing he wanted. He acted out of character, completely so, and then you turned up and corrected him. Tell me, Ana, how did he look when you told him your version of events."

"He looked rather smug until I made it obvious with my look I didn't view the date as a disaster. In fact, the more I corrected him, the more shattered he looked. He looked as though he was going to empty his stomach contents any minute." She'd been so hurt she hadn't really focused on him until now. Hope bloomed in her chest.

"I will tell you something, Grey would not admit to anytime soon. That man is quickly heading for in love with you, and he doesn't know it." Ana's eyes bulged at the news. "Trust me, I have been there. I was once in Grey's position with Elizabeth, and well, my past made things difficult, and we decided maybe it was best to call it quits." Elizabeth stared at Jack with so much love it made Ana smile despite her own situation.

"Eventually, we both realized we were close to in love, not that we'd admit it to the other, so we got back together and put the past in the past," Elizabeth admitted.

"She still made me wait for four and a half months before we took things to the next level," Jack growled earning a laugh from the women. "Ana, if that man isn't looking for you soon to grovel, I will chew off my right arm. Look, I know this sounds bad, but that girl meant nothing. She was available to ease the ache he felt when he thought he had lost you. I know you, and you more than likely don't want to hear that, but it's the truth. You court, get engaged to and marry the one that means something, the rest... they were used. And not for nothing, it was mutual, all these women knew well in advance it's a night of fun and nothing more. Yes, there are those that lie to women to get what they want and then disappear, but I don't see Grey in that category.

He made a mistake because he thought he had lost you. Forgive him and give things a real go because that pain you feel tells me you are also close to in love even if you don't want to admit it either. Do you know how rare it is to meet someone and have that instant connection? Give him a chance until he genuinely gives you a reason to walk away, hang in there. I'm not saying you take things to the next level; you wait until you feel ready and he deserves it. If he really wants you, he will wait." Jack advised.

"And what if there is another misunderstanding next time. What stops him from deciding to ease his sorrow with another woman?"

"That will be determined by how you handle this. We all know you will forgive Grey, but what does he do for you to finally tell him that? You don't easily throw away what you've poured blood, sweat, and tears in to earn. How often have you heard of self-made millionaires been the most tightfisted and frugal people you've ever met? They worked hard for their money; therefore, struggle to part with it. Let him work for your forgiveness. Make sure it's a lesson not soon forgotten." Ana looked out at the backyard watching the kids play. Jack and Elizabeth had two kids. They were the quintessential 2.4 family in the house with the white picket fence, not that the Hydes had a picket fence, it was more of a wall and a big gate.

On her way home from the Hyde's, she would admit her afternoon had turned out better than she expected considering how shit the previous evening and that morning felt. She exited the elevator to find the biggest bouquet of white and red roses she had ever seen. She found the card right at the top and quickly grabbed it. A smile split her face as she read the card.

'_Dearest Anastasia,_

_By now, you will have no doubt as to the level_

_ of idiocy I am capable of. I have no _

_excuse for my behavior. I should have spoken_

_to you, and even if what I saw on Friday had_

_been a date it should have made no _

_difference because you are right, you are_

_worth fighting for. This colossal idiot _

_hopes you will grant him a few minutes _

_of your time so he can get on his knees and _

_beg forgiveness and a chance to explain. _

_Your gigantic idiot,_

_Christian._

_206-555-4321.'_

Ana didn't think it was very imaginative, but for a man who had never considered dating, it was a start. She grunted as she lifted the large crystal vase into the apartment. Reading the card she knew the least she should do was send a text informing him she had received the flowers. Staring at her phone, she decided to wait until the morning. Yep, she was feeling a little bitchy and right now she didn't care. Christian Grey could wait.

* * *

"She wasn't in so I left the flowers on her front door," Sawyer informed him.

"So we have no idea if she received it or if one of her neighbors helped themselves to it," Christian grumbled. It had been hours since he sent the flowers and the note and so far nothing. He had no idea if she was home yet, or if she got the flowers until he heard from her. A thought hit him, and he swallowed.

_What if she doesn't care?_

He found himself in the entertainment room and decided to keep himself occupied with a movie. It was a grand idea except his eyes kept drifting to his phone hoping for a message from Anastasia. Late Sunday evening he realized none was forthcoming. Half an hour later when sleep wouldn't come, he thought about calling Welch and asking for her number but thought better of it. He would end up calling her and more than likely make the current situation worse. "You'd think the least a girl could do is tell a guy if she hated the flowers." He grumbled as he punched his pillow trying to get more comfortable.

Another morning found him again at the breakfast table staring at his phone in something akin to awe and shock. She hated the flowers. "Be careful what you wish for." He grunted before turning back to his breakfast. "Gail, you are a woman."

"Last I checked, yes." she quipped.

"Stupid question, but I am at a complete loss when it comes to this woman, and well it seems... read this." He handed over his phone.

'_Boring, predictable, unimaginative_

_and downright clichéd. Ask the _

_women in your life if they will _

_accept this rather mediocre _

_form of an apology. Your rather _

_amusing missive is the only _

_reason I am gracing you with a_

_response. This was very poor _

_Mr. Grey, do better._

_A very disappointed Ana.'_

He watched as Gail's eyes widen and her jaw dropped further as she read the short castigating note. "What did you send?" She inquired in awe.

"Roses." The groan that left Gail told him she was in agreement with Ana.

"There are more inventive flowers for apologizing. Carnations, blue hyacinth, tulips, orchids, lily of the valley to name a few and you sent roses. Don't get me wrong roses are great, but they are..."

"Clichéd." Christian finished. "When I asked, the florist said roses, so I went with that. What do I do now?" He looked positively lost.

"Something unconventional that's for sure." Gail murmured deep in thought.

* * *

"Ana, you do know you start work at eight right, not seven?" Jack asked as she sauntered in at seven on the dot.

"I know I just love coming to work." She said with a shrug.

"Enough about work. Explain." He stared at her with a knowing look.

"Explain what?" she failed to keep the smirk off her face.

"The reason for that pep in your step and that smirk. Grey's made a move, hasn't he?" Jack reminded her of José at that moment.

"Yep." She caved and answered. "Got flowers and note admitting he's an idiot.

"What did you say?" God, he really could be a gossip with the worst of them.

"Nothing... yet. Come on, he sent roses, how boring, predictable and clichéd." She grumbled.

Jack nodded, as much as he hated to admit it the girl was right. There were so many other flowers that scream I'm sorry and yet he went with roses. "Yeah, but roses are a classic, and you can't ever go wrong with roses." He said as internally he was rooting for Grey. " You have to remember he has more than likely never bought a woman outside his family flowers. Even then I'm sure someone does it for him."

"I understand that, but roses are just too easy," Ana argued.

"Tell him that," Elizabeth said as she walked in.

"No, that's too much," Jack argued.

"Nope, it's not. He has to know that this isn't going to be a walk in the park. He has to raise his game, and he will only know that if you make it clear his first attempt is mediocre at best. Men are always complaining that women expect them to know what is going on in their minds, instead of communicating. Lack of communication caused the situation you two are in right now. Darling, don't sugarcoat shit." Elizabeth intoned as she walked away. Jack stared at his wife until she disappeared around the corner.

"You know what, do that. Communication is key to any successful relationship." Ana had every intention of doing just that. If you are going to take advise from anyone regarding relationships you do so from the one that has got a successful marriage.

Jack still hadn't moved away from her desk as she got her phone out. "Jack." He looked up from her phone. "Go away." She chuckled at the scandalized look on his face.

"I have been here for all the boring moments, and just when it gets to the juicy part you are sending me away?" She said nothing. "You can't be serious. Imagine reading the setup to a great book only to be denied the outcome because your boss snatched the manuscript away from you." That was low, but he didn't care.

"You wouldn't dare."

He caved. "Of course I wouldn't, but come on."

"Okay, you can stay." She mumbled as she started her text.

Jack read the text over her shoulder and chuckled. "You sure you want to challenge Christian Grey?"

Ana read the text again and hit the sent button. "Yep."

Just before lunch, a commotion at SIP had everyone attention. Ana exited Jack's office with Jack in tow to find two men wheeling in a table with food, a lot of food. "Miss Anastasia Steele?" One inquired loudly.

"That would be me," Ana answered looking perplexed.

"Mr. Grey wishes you and your colleagues a lovely lunch." With a nod, the men turned and walked away. On the center of the table was a vase with an assortment of flowers. Orchid, carnations, tulips and a bunch of other she didn't know of the top of her head. She opened the card and a few seconds later chuckled.

"Well, lunch is on Christian Grey." Ana murmured amusingly.

_**MAY 1984**_

_Ella circled another ad and another and another. "Ella." Her head snapped up to the sight of William. He handed over her high school diploma. She had graduated with a 3.8-grade point average. She had refused to attend graduation no matter how hard he tried convincing her to go. _

"_Oh, thanks." She said taking the diploma. Right now, she had more pressing things on her mind. _

"_You look troubled can I help?" _

"_I am looking for a place to live before the baby comes. I can't continue to live in that apartment with a baby on the way. It is not fit for purpose, more or less a baby. It is too drafty, and no matter how hard I try it is not getting any better. Worse, there are too many drug users and drug paraphernalia around." She looked distressed and on the verge of tears._

"_It's still early. How about we call a few of these numbers and go check out the apartments. I have my car, and for once it's quite nice out." She nodded grateful for the offer. _

"_So, you joining us tonight for the graduation party mum is throwing?" Her head whipped around to him._

"_What graduation party? Grace said it was just a little family get together... it was no big deal, that is what she said." Ella was beginning to hyperventilate. _

"_Oh shit," William muttered as he pulled over. "Hey, hey... please calm down." William practically begged. "That is exactly what it is. It's just us family, no one you haven't already met." His beseeching eyes found her panicked ones. "Honestly, it's just us." He reiterated. _

"_Oh, okay." She whispered feeling a little foolish for panicking, but Ella wasn't keen on meeting new people, especially the kind that looked at her with disdain and disapproval. She already had an encounter with one of Grace's friends during lunch a few months ago, and it stayed with her for days. _

"_Me and my big mouth," William whispered as he joined traffic again. Ten minutes later they arrived in the first place. William immediately liked the look of the small apartment building, it was clean and in a very good neighborhood, miles removed from where Ella currently lived. _

"_What do you think?" He whispered. He could tell they would not see the other apartments. Who knows, they could be better or worse, but even he could see her living here. _

"_I like it... I really do. I could see myself raising the baby here." She smiled. "The best part was she could also afford it. With the thousand dollars Grace gave her and what she'd managed to save working at the clinic. She would be comfortable here. _

"_Hello, I'm Greg the owner and super, you must be Ella, the young lady looking to rent the apartment." He shook her hands. _

"_Yes, I'm Ella, this is my friend William, he's helping me out." The super nodded._

"_The apartment is on the second floor, but the building has an elevator so it shouldn't be much of a problem. The apartment was recently refurbished, so I'm sure you will find it to your liking." He said leading the way to the elevator. "There are mostly small families in the building so you should also fit right in." After a short ride, they arrived on the second floor. The apartment was down the hall with a white door. They entered a light, airy apartment, with an open plan floor space. It had one double room and a small bedroom, which would be perfect for a child. In truth, the second bedroom was no bigger than the utility room at the clinic, but for a baby, it was not an issue. It had a big window that faced the courtyard. _

"_I will leave you to look around and talk. I will be down the hall if you have any questions." Greg said as he left them to it. The apartment was small hence the rent in such a neighborhood, but Ella found it perfect. It was clean with a new kitchen and bathroom. The windows shut properly when shut and the heating looked like it worked. She also had hot water, which right now was a luxury in her old apartment. _

"_I take it from the smile on your face you like it." William chuckled._

"_I love it." She damn near screeched. "It's small, but..."_

"_It's perfect for you and the little guy." He said as he looked around. "If you want it and I do believe you do, I really think we should call Carrick to make sure everything is on the up and up." _

"_Okay." Ella accepted without argument. _

"_Well, that was easy," William muttered as he left the apartment to get the super. Ella was notorious for saying no, it was well known you had to talk her into things even when the situation was sometimes dire. _

_Half an hour later, the paperwork, Carrick had scrutinized the paperwork and had a few amendments made. Ella didn't really care about them, but then again, she wasn't a lawyer so she kept her mouth shut. Minutes later she signed on the dotted line, and she could move in whenever she liked. William offered to install a security chain on her door. He didn't like the idea of the super having a copy of her key even for emergency purposes. _

_For the first time in weeks, Ella Richardson had a smile on her face no one could wipe off. Things were looking up for her, and she could truly feel hopeful. _


	8. Chapter 8

Eleven days, eleven long days and Ana still wasn't ready to talk, she hadn't given him a hint as to when they could. Another day another delivery made to SIP, and of course later, he'd have something delivered to her apartment. Christian had learned from José that Ana wasn't into extravagant things and didn't put emphasis on money. He quickly realized Ana was more interested in his little missives than the gifts that accompanied them. Today, Christian was delivering cupcakes; it had become one of Ana's favorite things. He had delivered them the previous Friday and they were a hit.

Gail had encouraged him to deliver his little gifts himself as he was more likely to start a conversation with Ana then.

"Good Morning, Cindy."

"Good morning Mr. Grey, I believe she's in a meeting with Jack, but you can leave them on her desk." He sighed as he walked up to her desk. Indeed, she was not at her desk. He left the box of cupcakes and the card and left. He made no effort to wipe the look of disappointment off his face at not seeing her. Ana didn't exactly say much except for hello on the rare occasion he saw her, but at least he got to see her.

He's had a few women who had made it clear they wanted him, and if he was honest with himself, he never understood it. He could never fathom the idea of wanting to be with someone so much, you'd do anything to get their attention. Well, now he did, and it sucked, especially when the object of your affection barely paid any attention to you.

"Sir." He looked up to find they were back at GEH.

" Taylor, have ever known me to work this hard for anything?" He asked as they entered the elevator.

"No." Taylor realized at that moment his boss hadn't realized it was the point. You don't easily lose what you work hard to get. "You will earn Miss Steele's affection eventually, you just have to be patient" He advised.

They almost bumped into his mother as they exited the elevator. "Christian, we had a meeting this morning."

"I forgot." He had looked increasingly distracted and barely focused. Of course, Ella wasn't blind, she knew why, but until he came to her, she stayed out of it. He was a grown man and didn't need mothering over every issue he encountered in life. She had pretty much left him to his devices since he left for college.

"I gathered." She muttered entering the elevator. "I'm meeting your father for an early lunch. I will fill you in later." The elevator door closed and with a sigh, he headed for his office.

"Andrea, what's my schedule like?" He asked hoping to escape to the gym for an hour or two.

"You have nothing until your two o'clock conference call with London."

"Excellent, if anyone needs me I will have my phone with me." He took the stairs but didn't head for the basement; instead, he got into his Audi and peeled out of the parking garage like a man possessed.

* * *

"Sorry to bother you, it's Jack, right."

"It is." Jack looked up from his book and wasn't entirely surprised by the man before him. He had noticed his car parked across the street from SIP. Ana was really making him sweat. "How can I help you, Mr. Grey?" He struggled to keep his features impassive.

"Please, call me Christian." He sat down across from Ana's boss. There was a big part of him that was beyond happy the man was married. "Ana..."

"Let me stop you right there. I am firmly in Ana's corner in this." The man looked lost, Jack knew the feeling. Elizabeth had put him through the wringer as well. "Although, I am rooting for you... hard."

"But you won't tell me anything to give me a leg up."

"Sorry." Jack shrugged. "I could, but you will tell Ana I did and well, I like my life the way it is."

"I can understand that, but there has got be something you can tell me to help me. I am dying here." He pleaded.

"The thing about past actions I have learned is that the owners of that past worry more about it than anyone else. A lot of the time the owners are the ones who dwell on that past so much it hinders their future, and then they start to make stupid decisions." Jack could tell the man the mistakes he was making and divulge anything about Ana.

Christian dropped his head with a resigned sigh. "She told you."

"What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't." He looked up at Jack. "I was so sure of the outcome of our date and what I saw on Friday... I just... well, now I'm fully aware of just how monumentally dense I can be."

"For the first time in your life, you came across a woman you wanted for more than a bit of fun. Your heart had already made the decision before your head could intervene." Jack leaned forward. "Then an already difficult road found an obstacle, and you jumped to conclusions."

"Okay, I'm clever, but your philosophical wording isn't penetrating." Jack chuckled.

"I can get carried away from time to time. You thought your date went badly because of one of your past women, then there was what you thought you saw on Friday. The heart that was all in... broke, and you well... since it was your heart that got you into that mess, it was your heart that continued to make the decisions. Forget her, move on... go back to the man you were. Fuck her, and fuck the idea of relationships and eventual love." Christian nodded fully understanding. "Your head had nothing to do with this." Jack picked up his book. "But maybe you should start using your head and figure out how to get her to talk to you at least." Realizing the conversation was over, Christian stood up.

"Thank you." He buttoned his jacket with a new sense of urgency.

"Good luck," Jack muttered as he walked away.

Christian was halfway to the car when an early statement from Jack finally penetrated.

'_The thing about past actions I have learned is that the owners of that past worry more about it than anyone else. A lot of the time the owners are the ones who dwell on that past so much it hinders their future, and then they start to make stupid decisions.'_

Did it mean Ana wasn't worried about his past as he thought, and he was the one dwelling on it? If so that would explain why she still thought it was a good date despite getting approached. He still had no idea who the woman was, and if he had indeed slept with her. There were no cameras in the gallery, and the cameras in the surrounding areas didn't catch a good image of her. He still had no idea what she said to Ana. Maybe knowing that might help him find her.

* * *

Jack planted himself on the edge of Ana's desk. "So... I had a chat with Christian Grey." Ana's head shot up. "Look, as much as I would miss the cupcakes, the muffins, the food and all the flowers that make the place look like a florist and smell like one, talk to the man. It's safe to say he's learned his lesson." Jack stood up. "And this time be clear in your intentions and your communication or else this will be a reoccurring issue. Elizabeth and I would not be where we are today if we hadn't got our acts together, sat down and talked." With that, he left her to it.

Ana didn't waste any time, she sent a message and wasn't at all surprised by the speed of the reply.

Nor was she surprised by the sight of Christian when she got home. "Come up."

"Your roommate..."

"Fortunately she still on holiday and won't be back until next Friday," Ana muttered cheerfully. He nodded following her up, he wondered if Jack did say something on his behalf. "I was exhausted that Thursday, and if it had been anyone other than José I wouldn't have bothered. I had a great time, and I should have made that clear. I should have made my reasons for turning down dinner clear." Ana could he was surprised by the apology.

"I invited you to dinner after the show." Ana had no idea where he was going with that. "Meaning, I thought the date went well enough for me to do so. Was I in any doubt I wouldn't have done so. Why prolong our suffering." He had a point. "So your perception of the date is a moot point. As for Friday, I jumped to conclusions, and it certainly wasn't your fault that I decided to drown my sorrow in alcohol and women instead of talking to you first. There you were making plans to get my number or give me yours, and even if I had no knowledge of that, it does not excuse my behavior." He could tell her it was his birthday, and that compounded the situation, but he didn't see the point of revealing that fact. The two realized they were still standing outside her apartment talking.

With a giggle, Ana opened the door. "Can I get you anything? Water, coffee, tea... I've got a lot of tea." She teased. He had sent her a year's supply of Twinning English breakfast tea.

"No." He laughed but quickly sobered up. "What did that woman at the gallery say to you? I can now see you were unbothered by it."

"Doesn't matter, she was lying." She said flippantly.

"Pray tell, how did you come to that conclusion?" Christian leaned forward with a tentative smile. Whatever her reason he wasn't going to dissuade her of it.

"Kate talked about you a lot, and I mean a lot, so much so I stopped listening because it was the same shit over and over again. The one thing I did pick up on was her increasing fascination with your sexual orientation, and it wasn't helped by every media outlet in the state of Washington also harping on about it. At the time I didn't realize it was because she might have wanted you and you being gay didn't help."

"Okay, and how does that translate to that woman lying."

"Because the constant thing that was driving Kate's belief was you attending every public event either by yourself or with the female members of your family and only them." Christian nodded that was true. He had to be a family man in one sense. "So it wasn't possible that you met her and wooed her at your family's charity event last year."

"No, it's not, and it's not because I keep my dalliances under the radar, I also didn't attend Coping Together last year as I was on a business trip. In fact, I spent all of last summer in Europe and Southeast Asia. " His tentative smile was now a full-blown one.

"Like I said she was lying," Ana shrugged. Christian sensed something was up, and though he was afraid, he was reminded of Jack's words.

"What is it?"

"When you do nothing but look at words daily for hours on end, they tend to stay with you. Not only that, you find how certain people phrase certain things stand out. Of course it could be a complete coincidence when two different and inherent strangers use the same words regarding the same thing, but in this case, I am struggling to shrug it off.

"You know the saying... two heads are better than one." Christian hoped to coax whatever she was struggling to shrug off out of her.

"And I quote._ 'I had a one night stand with Grey last summer, we were both pretty far-gone, and well I wasn't entirely surprised he didn't recognize me, this is his thing. I can guarantee I'm not the only one he doesn't recognize. Just be careful, he will do and say what he needs to say to get what he wants. The difference with me is I didn't expect anything from him.'" _Of course Christian had just confirmed he wasn't around last summer to begin with, confirming what Ana had always believed.

"Who said that?" He asked.

"The woman at the gallery... and Kate Kavanagh, word for word... not a word, syllable or punctuation out of place," Ana looked up at him.

"Yes, I can see why you are struggling to shrug it off. And Kavanagh I presumed said this to you before your date with me," Ana nodded. "Then low and behold you don't listen, and then a woman comes up to you and repeats it word for word." Christian didn't even question what she had heard like she said her job was words.

"I have never lied to a woman, I am always straight forward about what I want. Until that Saturday I have kept my dalliances under the radar." He really didn't want to go into it, but Kavanagh saying he would do and say what needed to be said to get what he wanted had pissed him off. "I had a phone with a list of women I had an understanding with. I can count on one hand how many random women I have slept with since I started GEH. First I simply didn't have the time and second, my face was now out there. I was the twenty-two year old whose mother left a well-paying job to help her son build his dream. We were immediately seen as a family company, and as a family man, I certainly couldn't be seen falling out of clubs with a different woman on my arm every weekend. Even with my clean reputation, I have had people refuse to work with me because I'm not seen with a girlfriend, a fiancé nor am I married. I mostly overcome this because I am my mother's boy. I have never needed to lie to any of them, they all knew the deal and agreed to it. They get a lot out of me in exchange. I have never used or lied to any woman." He knew it sounded cold, and he was surprised she hadn't said anything about what he'd just confessed. Hell, he was judging himself, and yet she was listening without judgment. He'd never felt the need to justify his private life, and there he was doing just that.

"I was such a nervous wreck on our date that this didn't occur to me. Yes, it is more than likely I won't remember every woman I've slept with. I started having sex at sixteen, and at college, a lot of those encounters happened under the influence of alcohol. Frat parties, team parties, game day parties, you name it parties, I threw a lot of those and went to a lot of those, and most of the time ended the night with some woman whose name I didn't even know. Had I thought about it that night, I would have known she was someone I had never met.

Your roommate has wanted me for some time, something I recently discovered." The news didn't surprise Ana. "It's not that she might want me, she wants me. She also has the added incentive of her brother wanting you."

"I've also known about Ethan, and I made a conscientious effort to never lead him on in any way. Ethan Kavanagh has only ever been a friend, it is all he will ever be. It doesn't matter what Kate says or does that will never change. He's back from holiday, and I have yet to see him. I have my life, and he has his. I believe Ethan has gotten the message, I believed for a long time Kate had encouraged him, and he believed her... just not anymore. Ethan isn't an issue."

"I appreciate that, but I have learned my lesson so even if you do decide to date other people, know that I will fight for you." She chuckled.

"Never too late to learn. In a sense, I owe Kate a thank you, had it not been for her attempt to warn me off you, I might not have considered dating you at all or thought our date went well."

"Because of her, you knew the woman was lying." Christian surmised.

"No, it is obvious now that Kate saw something in you that day you came to pick your cousin up to worry about you coming after me. I believed she sensed I was more than just a bit of weekend fun. I mean before then she was far from concerned especially having heard the interview and the subsequent conversation."

"I do believe you are right," Christian said with a smile. Her roommate had inadvertently helped Ana decide to give him a chance. He was also now a step closer to finding the woman. That is if she attended the Coping Together gala the previous year.

"I'm away this weekend with my mom. We have to be in Detroit to inspect a plant. I was hoping you will agree to another date next Saturday."

"Yes," Ana answered with a giggle.

"Great, I'm sure I will have something figured out by then." It was clear she was not meant to hear that so she pretended he hadn't said it out loud. Someday, she will tease him mercilessly about it.

"Right then, I have to get going, I have a flight to catch." He said as he stood to leave.

"I hope you didn't drop anything important to come here. You could have told me you were on your way out of town I would have understood."

"No, I had a little time, I'm glad I came." She didn't need to know he had forced a change in flight schedule just to talk to her. It was worth it as far as he was concerned. "I would like to call you if that's okay."

It is." She said with a nod.

"Then, my lady, it is farewell for now." He took her hand and kissed the back with a bow to boot. She shook her head in disbelief, although she couldn't keep the laughter at bay.

"See you around, Christian." She shut the door still laughing. Neither could wipe the cheesy grins off their faces.

Except, the course of true love never run smooth, during their talk, they had hit on something significant that neither paid close attention to. Kate Kavanagh had in her possession the very thing that could shatter their growing relationship.


	9. Chapter 9

"JOSÉ." He giggled, he actually giggled like a girl.

"Annie, how lovely to hear from you. You know, I meant to call you the other day, but..."

"Cut the crap. What the hell is thirteen thousand dollars doing in my account?"

"You know photographers pay models a percentage for posing..."

"I didn't pose, and we never talked about any cut." Ana was seething.

"Your boyfriend paid an extortionate amount for your pictures, all seven of them. That, my dear Annie, is your cut whether you want it or not." He sighed. "Do you know I've paid off my student loans? I helped out my dad and have enough left over to set myself up with a studio after I graduate. Thanks to Christian and his parents showing up, I have so much work lined up... shit Annie, I'm turning down work. You've just moved to the city with very little, having to survive on an assistant's salary. Worse, you have a student loan to pay off."

"I guess I should have told you I sold Wanda for nearly thirty thousand dollars." She could hear him choking on something.

"What idiot paid that much for that piece of junk?" He bellowed.

"José, why don't you look it up?" José always managed to amuse her even on her worst day.

"Already beat you to... oh my motherfucking God. You knew that piece of shit was worth so much?" He whispered.

"My boss." Ana found herself staring at said boss who looked none too happy. "Erm... José got to go, call you later." She never got round to talking about returning the money.

"You do realize the entire floor can hear you, right." She promptly blushed at the thought of everyone hearing her.

"I will take the money off your hands if you don't want it," Errol shouted from across the room earning a few chuckles from her other colleagues. Yep, everyone heard her.

"Don't worry when she has a good think about it, she will promptly take that money and put a dent in her student loan." Jack murmured as he entered his office.

Errol sauntered over to her desk. "Drinks are on you tonight."

"Fuck off," Ana muttered giving him the finger to boot. Errol was Cindy's roommate, and thanks to him, Ana now had a swanky new iPhone and a MacBook. His boyfriend worked for AT&T and had hooked her up with a deal. She was staying with them for the weekend. With Kate coming back she had happily accepted the invitation to spend the weekend.

In college, Kate had been her only friend until she reconnected with José. Kate had been the popular girl, while Ana had been the dowdy friend in the shadows. Turns out, Kate wasn't well liked, and her so-called popularity was down to who her father was. Ana though was liked, but her fellow students stayed away because of Kate. Having run into a classmate while out with Cindy and Elizabeth, she had learned the truth. Of course, that didn't surprise her at all, since moving to Seattle she's had no problem making friends. She was close to several colleagues whom she would now call friends. They had her number she had theirs, they spent time together outside of work. They'd even convinced her to join the gym, which she had. She had one hell of a social life one that didn't include Kate fucking Kavanagh. She had considered moving out, but she strongly felt the need to keep Kate close. Even if she was actively excluding the girl from her life, she still needed to keep an eye on her. She knew what Kate was like when she didn't get her way. She was a vindictive bitch when she believed she has been crossed, and her dating Christian Grey was more than likely the worst possible offense as far as Kate was concerned. Yep, she needed to keep an eye on Kate.

* * *

Of course, José knowing what she intended to do refused to answer his phone, so she called Eve and what do you know she wasn't answering either. She growled and tossed her phone back into her bag. "I am going to kill those two." She muttered as she grabbed another slice of pizza. It was Edwin, one of the junior editor's birthday, the conference room table was packed with food and drinks. Birthdays were celebrated in SIP in whatever fashion the person of honor wished. Edwin just wanted something low key and relaxed, and this was it. Despite her annoyance at José, she was genuinely enjoying herself.

It was just after eight and everyone had split off into small groups. Although one group's conversation tended to draw another group in. Or sometimes a question would have everyone talking despite everyone staying in their own little group. "So Ana... when are you going to let Christian Grey off the hook?" If there was one person in SIP Ana didn't like, it was Stellar Olyphant. It was obvious she was jealous of Ana for getting Christian's attention. She had made it clear she would have forgiven him by now, several times. "I'm telling you the minute I received that first gift I would be done."

"Yeah, we know," Errol groused with an eye roll.

"Nothing easy is worth having," Elizabeth muttered to no one in particular.

"I'm just saying it's Christian Grey... who has a man like that practically salivating after them for days and still gives them the cold shoulder." If she was waiting for a response, none came. It was apparent Stellar had sat with them hoping to hear gossip surrounding Ana and Christian. Everyone else in the group knew Ana had a date with Christian the following day.

"Guys... we have to go and relief the babysitter before she starts blowing up our phone." Jack took Elizabeth's hand as she stood.

"Kids, they do force change." Elizabeth chuckled. "Remember the days we used to go home in the morning and slept until well past midday."

"Those were the days." Jack exaggerated with a sigh.

"Oh please, even if you two didn't have kids, you are too old for the late night parties," Ana teased and ducked as Elizabeth threw a balled up paper napkin at her.

"You will get there one day with Grey babies." She laughed as Ana blushed vermillion.

"I'm ready to head out as well," Errol grabbed his coat.

"I'm with you." Ana grabbed her bag and coat as well.

"Already, it's not even nine." Stellar complained.

"Some of us have an early morning." Christian had confirmed the details of their date. She had to be up at the crack of dawn for reasons he refused to divulge. Apparently, it was a day of adventure.

* * *

Despite an uninterrupted seven-hour sleep, Ana was still in a foul mood having woken up at five in the morning. Christian knew and after a greeting of good morning was met with a grumble he kept his mouth shut, though he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He soon pulled into Evergreen Soaring and was met by Ivan, one of the instructors at the club "Good morning Mr. Grey." He greeted with a friendly smile.

"Thanks for doing this," Christian said as he shook his hands.

"No problem come this way, your glider is set up for you, and we are ready to go whenever you are."

For the first time that morning Ana looked alert and less grouchy at the sight of the contraption in front of her. "Okay, what are we doing?" she bit the bullet and asked.

"Soaring." That did not answer her question. "This is a glider," Christian explained running his hands over it. We are going to chase the dawn in this beauty." He winked at her.

"Still not getting it," Ana sighed.

"You will see in a bit." Christian was all smiles as she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in exasperation.

That thought was soon a thing of the past as the plane towed the glider into the air. "Holy shit." She mumbled. Christian chuckled knowing the best was yet to come.

Soon the plane released them, Ana was sure Christian was talking, but she was too engrossed in the colors that lit up the sky to pay attention to him. "So beautiful." She murmured. She had never paid attention to the rising or setting of the sun until that moment. She watched mesmerized as the sun come up heralding a new day.

She practically jumped into Christian's arms after he helped her out of the glider. That was amazing, so cool. What a way to see the sunrise." Ana Steele was finally smiling; her grouchy mood had long disappeared.

"What do you say to breakfast?" He found himself holding his breath.

"God, yes. I could certainly do with some food after all that excitement."

"Great, I could murder a stack of pancakes." He took her hand as they walked to the car. The mood this time was vastly different from the mood on the drive to the soaring club. Ana's smile was still in place much to Christian's satisfaction.

He didn't want to spoil the mood, but he had one primary concern and couldn't rest until it was dealt with. "Spoken to Kavanagh since she got back?"

"Nope." Ana wasn't as concerned about her as he was and that was clear. "Katherine Kavanagh will always be about Katherine Kavanagh. She sent me an email letting me know when she would be back. Thanks to my new phone I saw the first line of her message, and that was enough. I haven't actually opened it, and that is my excuse for not calling her. I didn't know she was back." Christian chuckled.

"I take it she hasn't called you."

"No, then again I have changed my number. That been said I have taped my new number to the fridge. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, Kate won't see it. It's right there in front of her, but she will still be blind to it. I'm past caring about Kate, it's time I started being a little selfish." Christian agreed wholeheartedly.

They found themselves in a near-empty Ihop. They took a corner booth in the back and relaxed. They both ordered a stack of pancakes, Ana with strawberries and bananas, Christian with blueberries. A cup of coffee and a cup of tea accompanied their breakfast.

"Wait, so your mother isn't a doctor?" Ana could have sworn he introduced her as Dr. Grey the first time she met her.

"No, she is a doctor, just not an MD." He explained

"Oh, PhD!" Ana exclaimed.

"Yep, in mathematics."

"Wow, I just about managed in high school when it came to mathematics so I can't imagine choosing to continue to study it in college and further."

"Numbers came easy to my mom, it was so ingrained in her she passed some of it on to me." He laughed, and so did she.

"My mom had no such thing. As horrible as it sounds I believe outside of looking like her, I got nothing from her, and I am grateful for it. Carla isn't the focusing type. Her attention span is nonexistent. I was hoping to visit her, but I will admit my life got in the way. I really should visit her soon... and my dad come to think of it."

"You seem to be enjoying life in Seattle." Christian could see it, she seemed so different from the girl who interviewed him.

"I am." She smiled then. "I love my job and the people I work with. Most of them I can truly call friends. I actually have a social life." She still found that hard to believe.

"Didn't you have one in college?" That surprised him, most life long friendships were formed in college, for him at least.

"No, I tethered myself to Kate to the exclusion of all others. I didn't even realize it was what I had done until recently. Of course, Kate made sure it stayed that way."

"Are you going to move out?" It was the one thing that was bothering him.

"I can afford to now more than ever thanks to Jack and José, but I feel the need to keep an eye on her. She has spent so many years trying to get you, and here I come and in a blink of an eye snatch you right from under her nose. I have known her long enough to know she will retaliate." That scared Christian.

"That worries me." He murmured finishing his coffee.

"Don't let it. Jack and Elizabeth have thought me a lot, and one of those lessons is communication. If you know everything and I know everything what could Kate possibly do?" He had to admit it was sound advice, but it didn't stop him from worrying. His past still concerned him. It was easy to hear about it, but when faced with it, it could be an entirely different ball game.

"Ready to have fun on my next big toy."

"Lead the way. You are the embodiment of boys and their toys."

"And proud of it baby." That earned him a giggle.

They drove to the marina in comfortable silence. Ana's joy radiated off her, and it took Christian's mind of his past. "Ready to meet my baby?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Lead the way." He jumped out of the car and run around to get the door for her. Again he held her hand as they walked down the pier. "There she is." Christian murmured. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful, I have never been this close to anything like this."

"Come on board, today it's just us. We aren't going far so we will be fine on our own." Gail had stocked the kitchen, so food and drink were taken care off.

* * *

With a sigh, Kate shut the door behind her. She loved going on holidays, but she hated coming home. She had things to unpack, wash and worse of all the entire content of her room to unpack as well. At least Ana had sorted the apartment. Speaking of her roommate, Kate knew she wasn't in, as the junk she called a car was not parked when her cab pulled up. Kate hadn't heard from Ana since she left for her holiday, so she had no idea why she wasn't home. She was expecting Ana to be there waiting to welcome her home at least. Ana wasn't exactly the going out type unless it was to a bookstore or to buy groceries.

By midnight Kate was fed up with unpacking, she had been hoping Ana would be home by then to help her, but the girl in question was still out somewhere. Kate finally grabbed her phone and called her only to hear the number in question had been disconnected. "What the hell is going on?" She quickly called José; unfortunately, he didn't answer. She left him a message and collapsed on the bed. She intended to close her eyes for a few minutes only to find herself waking up when the morning sun rays hit her face. It was a beautiful day, but she couldn't care less.

She quickly checked her phone to find a message from José. Ana was okay and spending the weekend with friends. "What friends?" Kate murmured. She had another text message from Caroline. Caroline had done her a huge favor; it wasn't all that much of a favor as Kate had paid for it. She was sunning herself in the Bahamas when José's show happened so had no idea how Ana's date with Christian went. Now she had an idea from Caroline's message, she eagerly called her.

"I thought you were due back a week or so ago," Caroline said with a chuckle.

"I was enjoying the sun far too much to do any such thing."

"Well, I can tell you my news will brighten an already bright day. I did as you asked, gave her the same script you gave me. I will admit for a second there I didn't think it would work. She gave this soliloquy about women and our role in men's disrespect of us. Even added a quote... Jesus, Kate where did you dig this one up. Beautiful girl, but such a fucking know it all. I actually thought I had failed considering the speech, but turns out I got to her. She cut the date short and left Grey looking rather forlorn."She laughed.

"Ana was always gullible, I knew with my little speech and then yours she'd cave, but I will admit deep down I had some doubts." Kate couldn't hold her glee and let out a squeal. "I owe you one. Consider that ad for your play in the culture section of the times printed."

"Pleasure doing business with you." All of a sudden her unpacking didn't look so daunting. She knew Ana wouldn't have the nerve it took to deal with the likes of Christian Grey. She was tempted to call Elliot for a little fun but decided against it. She had made things difficult enough sleeping with him the first time. She could argue she had no idea they were related, but that argument would no longer wash. No, it was time to prepare herself for Christian Grey.

* * *

"Christian... Christian, put me down." Ana knew it was highly unlikely he would listen with her laughing hysterically.

"Are you sure?" He teased. She failed to respond, and the next minute he had plunged them both into the water. After a few seconds, she resurfaced coughing the water out of her lungs. She looked around for Christian who was still under.

"Where are you? You can't hide forever." She shouted slapping the surface of the water.

"I'm right here." He whispered behind her. She screeched and turned around only to find him gone. He resurfaced far from her. "Isn't it wonderful." He quipped while she tried her damndest to appear cross.

"I am not talking to you." It was a childish retort, but she didn't care. He could be such a teenager at times so in fairness her response was more than appropriate. She will admit the weekend had been the best she'd ever had.

Christian had taken the yacht to the middle of Lake Washington giving them some privacy. They had talked until lunch about nothing and everything. Ana's respect for his mother had grown exponentially that afternoon. They learned more about each other and their families. They ate, lounged around on the deck sunbathing. She had lifted an eyebrow at him when he had suggested it and also produced a bathing suit. Saturday evening Ana had asked if they had enough food to last another day. Christian's responding smile made her heart melt. So there they were on Sunday behaving as though a pair of teenagers.

Ana swam back to the yacht making it to the ladder only to be pulled back into the water. She was positively fuming while he couldn't contain his laughter. "Talk to me, Anastasia." He teased.

"You are like the kids on the playground who pulls on little girls pigtails because he likes them but is too chicken shit to admit it." She retorted.

"How right you are." He bravely swam back towards her. "I like you, Anastasia Steele, will you do me the honor of been my girlfriend?"

"Was that so hard?" She teased.

"It is terrifying." He admitted truthfully.

"Yes, I will be your girlfriend." She giggled wrapping her arms around his neck. His eyes drifted to her lips, and he involuntarily licked his. He leaned in giving her a chance to back away, but she didn't.

His lips were incredibly soft, she was reminded of the one date she went on in her senior year with a guy whose lips felt like sandpaper. This was a vastly different feeling, these lips molded to hers perfectly. Christian had never had much time for kissing; it felt too intimate to kiss a woman he didn't really care for. This was different; he had dreamt about her lips, he had wondered if it was as soft as it looked. He had wondered if kissing her would feel different from the few he had in high school. It surpassed his every possible dream his imagination could conjure up. The softness of her body pressed against his firm form. With her breast pushed up against his chest, he would swear he could feel her heart beating as though it was his own. His hands started to wonder, and he knew it was time to pull away, he did so reluctantly. "Wow." He whispered breathlessly.

"Yeah." Was all Ana managed before attacking his lips again. He let his fears go and went for it. She was at fault for whatever happened next, after all, she started it after he had been such a gentleman and pulled away.


	10. Chapter 10

_**JUNE 1984**_

"_Hello," Carrick whispered at the sight of the baby in William's arms. _

"_This one is wide awake, his mother though is dead to the world." William only had eyes for the tiny thing in his arms and Ella. Ella was curled up in the bed fast asleep. The rest of the family filed in after Carrick. _

"_Oh my, look at him." Carol Grey said in near tears. "What a handsome little thing." The entire Grey and Trevelyan clan had taken to Ella in ways Grace never imagined. The young lady had stolen hearts, especially William's, who was determined to be the only man in Ella's life apart from her son. _

"_Has she given him a name yet?" Grace enquired._

"_Yep, meet Christian Richardson." William looked too proud for words._

"_Wasn't that the name you recommended?" Theo chuckled at the sight of William puffed out chest. Ella had asked them for a name, as she couldn't think of one. William had suggested Christian. _

"_Yeah." He answered staring down at the tiny bundle of joy. William was determined to be the only man in the boy's life come hell or high water. _

"_Look at those eyes, I hope he gets to keep it." Grace murmured._

"_Me too." Christian had his mother's eyes. Though Christian had barely any hair the small amount they could see was obviously close to red in color. The color clearly came from the teen that had gotten Ella pregnant. Ella hadn't divulged much about the boy in question, and no one had asked. _

"_I have nightmares wondering how she would have fared had she not run into you," William told Grace. The thought had crossed all their minds. More so than ever as Carrick and Grace were in the process of adopting a toddler whose mother was lost to drugs. There was hardly anything out there for teens and young adult that fell pregnant. Most were abandoned by families and left with nothing to live on more or less supporting a child as well. _

"_We should look into it." Carol Grey said. She moved over her son's shoulder to stare at Christian. "She was sure Christian would come to see her boy as his father one day. William was a determined individual; if he set his sights on something he achieved it. _

_A few hours later Ella woke up to find William asleep in the chair. She peeked in the crib to find Christian asleep as well. She lay back down and stared at William's sleeping form. In the last month, he had helped her move, helped her buy furniture and put it together. He had single-handedly put the nursery together. He had spent every waking minute with her and was with her when her water broke. He had calmly driven her to the hospital and stayed with her when she had the baby. William Grey was everything she didn't expect but was extremely grateful for. _

"_Hey." He whispered when he noticed she was awake._

"_Hey." She responded with a smile._

"_How are you feeling?" He stood and moved closer to the bed. _

"_Like I just gave birth to an eight-pound baby." She quipped. _

"_I can't relate in any way." He laughed taking her hands in his._

"_Thank you." She whispered. "Not just today, but for everything. It's inadequate, but all the same thank you so much, William. I don't know how I would have coped without you here today." A tear ran down the side of her face._

"_You never have to find out." He leaned forward and planted a tender kiss on her forehead. "Rest, I will wake you when he wakes up." He settled back in the chair and shut his eyes. He had always thought he'd follow in his dad and big brother's footsteps by going to Harvard, but in the end, he had opted for Michigan because there was no way he was moving away from Ella. He'd elected to go into medicine instead of law, and well Michigan was one of the best universities to study pre-med and medicine. He was so caught up in his thoughts; he didn't hear Grace enter the room until she was by Ella's bed looking her over. "She just fell back asleep." He murmured. _

"_Good, she needs to rest." Grace moved over to the other chair and sat down. "What were you thinking about?"_

"_College." He sat up and stretched his sore back. "I'm also hoping that maybe in a couple of years Ella can start college. By then Christian would be old enough to have a babysitter or start preschool."_

"_Couldn't agree more," Grace whispered. _

_"One day that boy is going to be a Grey." William murmured as he stared at a sleeping Christian. The two continued to talk quietly as mother and son slept or at least they thought Ella was. _

* * *

"Spill." Ana took off her seatbelt and turn to him. "Something is bugging you that much is obvious. As much as we've had fun this weekend, something is still eating away at you. It can't still be Kate because you know where I stand regarding her."

"No, you are right. I was under the impression she was your best friend, and if I know one thing I know boyfriends not liked by friends don't last."

"I have seen it enough times," Ana admitted with a giggle. "You also have to know a lot of the time, it is nothing but jealousy." Christian nodded. In this case, it was also jealousy on Kavanagh's part.

"No, I now know nothing she says or does will change your mind regarding me."

"Nothing... anybody says or does will change my mind. I agreed to be your girlfriend today. Was I the least bit unsure of you I would have said no outright, but that didn't happen. So what is it?"

"It is easy to be dismissive of something when it's not in your face. You had the foresight of knowing the woman at José's show was lying, but it is unlikely the next one would be. Despite the NDA's, there is more than likely one woman who's anger means you..." Ana's loud sigh cut him off.

"You are worried about nothing," Ana looked away from him then. "But I'm guessing my words aren't enough. What would you like me to say to assure you of that?"

"No, Ana... this isn't about you."

"Except it is. You won't believe me when I say your past doesn't matter, so it is about me. Whatever past experience you've had with other women is just that, your past. Yeah, our past doesn't always stay there, but so what. Are you seriously going to let it hung over us like this? Honestly, at this rate Kate isn't the problem, you are. I am telling you, it doesn't matter who comes up to me, what they say it doesn't change anything for me. Don't you think I considered all this before I agreed to give you a chance?"

"Oh." At that moment Ana realized that hadn't remotely occurred to him.

"Wait a sec, did you think I hadn't considered any of that?" She looked positively amused.

"Actually, I did." He looked a little sheepish. "I just thought you'd accepted it, but hadn't taken into account what it could mean."

"I thought about nothing but your past. I spoke to José and Eve for hours on end about it. Even after the date I still had that on my mind. Jack and Elizabeth have had their ears burnt with that subject. I have considered your past and made my peace with it. As far as I'm concerned your past is your past no matter what bitter, sad, pathetic excuse of a woman shows up to rattle my cage. Bitches will be lucky if I don't put a bullet in their asses." He lost it then. Ana practically stared at him for five minutes while he tried to compose himself.

"You gon bust a cap in a bitch's ass." Now it was Ana's turn to laugh. It sounded so wrong coming from him.

An hour later, they were still in his SUV talking and laughing. Neither one wanted the night to end, but it had to. She could see the weight off his shoulders. His relief was palpable.

Christian felt more relaxed, and he also finally understood the power of communication. "I have to go," Ana sighed.

"You have to." He admitted still holding her hand. "I will drop you to your door."

"You can drop me to my bedroom if you wish."

"You want to rub this in Kavanagh's face don't you." He chuckled.

"Don't' you?" Ana questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Let's go." Christian said finally letting go of her hand, and getting out of his car. Yes, he was looking forward to rubbing Kavanagh's failure in her face.

* * *

Ana opened the front door to find Kate on the couch with a slice of pizza in hand. "Kate, when did you get back?" Her smile had nothing to do with her roommate and everything to do with the man struggling to keep it together. Kate's hand was frozen midway to her mouth at the sight of them. It was clear she was struggling to comprehend the sight before her as it was the last thing she expected.

"Friday night. I called you, but your number is disconnected."

"I got a new phone and number. I left it on a post it on the fridge." She finally managed to say.

"I missed it." She did because she genuinely believed Ana's line had been disconnected because she hadn't paid her bill. She never considered she'd gotten a new phone.

"Christian, it is my roommate, Kate."

"I'm guessing to you were too angry the morning of your graduation to notice that Elliot introduced us," Christian teased.

"I forgot." She shrugged.

"I have to admit I was surprised when you didn't turn up for the interview. Must have been really unwell to send Ana."

"It was unfortunate." Kate murmured.

"Not for me it wasn't. I would not be with this beautiful woman had it not been for that." He wrapped his arm around Ana and kissed her briefly. "Well, I have to get home." He sighed. "I had the best weekend of my life, and that is saying something. I will call you tomorrow after work."

"Look forward to it." She giggled for no reason. She just felt giddy and who could blame her. Christian Grey was a catch, and she could understand why the bitches would come out of the woodwork to try and run her off.

"Before I forget. My mother will not say a word and will never ask unless I offer, but I know she is eager to get to know you."

"It will be great to officially meet her."

"Excellent, they are having a barbecue for my sisters this weekend before they start preparing for the move to New York. It's a sort of a going away party."

"Yeah, sounds great."

"I will pick you up at midday or thereabouts. I should have a firm time sometime this week, and then I will let you know." Christian leaned in and kissed her. There was nothing quick about it nor was it for Kavanagh's benefit. "I better leave before you decide to jump me again. My willpower will soon fade, and I will give in to your incessant attempts to get my pants off." He teased earning a raised eyebrow. Despite her getting carried away with their kissing, it was all it had been no matter how hot and heavy it got; it ended at kissing and a little groping.

Ana could see his reluctance to leave. She couldn't help her smile as she headed back to her bedroom. "Where do you think you are going?" Kate intoned cheerfully. Anastasia Steele was book smart, maybe not so street smart, but that didn't matter in the land of Katherine Kavanagh. Ana could read Kate like a book, but it was a little knowledge she had kept to herself and was at that moment happy to have done so. Kate to anyone else looked delighted for her friend, but Ana knew it was a look she put on when she didn't want to show her true feelings.

No, Katherine Kavanagh was not happy for Ana, she was fuming and hiding it well, or so she thought.

"Unfortunately, I have a ton of laundry to do, my room to clean and a few things to get done before work tomorrow."

Kate ignored all that. "So you and Christian Grey, when did that happen?"

"We went to José's show, and things went from there," Ana said dashing to her room before Kate could ask any more questions. Oh, Ana had every intention of telling her every single detail about her weekend, but just not yet. She wanted Kate's imagination to run wild before she put her out of her misery.

Kate turned back to the TV with little interest. The minute Ana headed for the laundry room she was going to call Caroline. The woman had clearly failed, but worse, had unable to see it. Either that or she outright lied to Kate. Either way that promised ad was not going to happen.

Her family could never get an invite to the Grey's many events, and somehow Ana after a few weeks is invited to a family barbecue. Kate was determined to drop enough hints to make sure Ana invited her. If not she would have to call Elliot. Maybe it was time she sent him a text to say hi.

Kate was still sat on the sofa, pizza abandoned trying to think of a way of scoring an invite to the barbecue when Ana dashed out with her overflowing laundry basket. "Wow, when was the last time you did laundry?" It was unlike Ana to leave her laundry undone for more than a week.

"I think I did it the week you left and haven't had time since. There is always some show to attend, some dinner party, a new club opening it's been a blast." Ana giggled and left the room. She waited for the elevator with a satisfied smile on her face. She entered the elevator only to turn back to find a sock on the floor. She rushed out before the door closed and grabbed the sock. She turned back then heard Kate.

"Guess what, Caroline?" Kate sneered. "Ana just walked in with Christian fucking Grey. You told me she cut the date short after you spoke to her..." Ana, unfortunately, couldn't hear the woman's response. "Well, obviously you read it wrong because he just brought her home. He kissed her goodbye, and there was nothing innocent about it. Then invited her to this family's barbecue party his weekend. THIS IS CHRISTIAN GREY INVITING A GIRL TO MEET HIS FAMILY. HE ISN'T PLAYING. Consider our deal null and void." She cringed when Kate let out a scream that would put a banshee to shame.

Pathetic, was the first thought that went through Ana's head. Katherine Kavanagh was a pathetic excuse of a friend, a woman, and a human being. For years Ana had made excuses for her, and now she found herself wondering why she put up with Kate's shit for years.

* * *

Christian Grey found a smile perpetually etched on his face, not that he was making an effort to get rid of it. His weekend with Ana had been topped off with a talk that allayed his fears and a fuck you to Kavanagh. Yes, there was no wiping the smile off his face. With lunch in hand, he knocked on his mother's door.

"Come in." Ella intoned mind more focused on the stack of papers in front of her. With the purchase of Doherty Industries now going ahead, she was knee deep in paperwork.

"Hey, mom, got time for lunch." She looked up at him and could have sworn she was looking at him in his early teenage years. He had his moments; the moments were all he wanted was his mother and nothing else. In the early years, she worried, because she feared William would feel rejected until she found out Christian also had those moments with him as well.

"Yes, I certainly could do with a break." She dropped her papers and sat back. "We haven't done this in a while." She murmured as he laid out the food.

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to being home more often." In the last eighteen months, he'd spent five months at home. Ros had just gotten married, so he had taken on the bulk of their international affairs to allow her more time at home with her new wife.

"So will we see you this weekend or do you have more plans with Ana?" She asked nonchalantly, but he knew she was very interested when it came to Ana. His mother left him to his own devices more often than not, but for the first time, she had shown real interest in his personal life, especially in regards to a woman.

"I have plans with Ana, and you will see me this weekend." His smile got wider. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How did you know dad was the one?" He had no idea what drew him to Ana or her to him. He was hoping maybe there might be something in her story that would give him an idea.

"Honestly, I didn't. I knew how William felt from very early on, but my head was elsewhere, and in truth, another high school jock was the last thing I needed. It didn't take long for me to realize he was not what I expected. He offered his friendship, and it was all he wanted in return, he knew I wasn't in a position to offer anything else. In truth, I didn't trust anybody considering all the people I loved had abandoned and betrayed me. Worse, my own parents wanted to kill my child without us even talking. They made the decision, and that was that. Before I knew it, I had come to rely on William more and more, he was in the delivery room with me." She chuckled. "I remember asking him to stay with me. He looked at me as though the idea of me thinking he would even leave was absurd. He came round almost every day, and on the weekends he would stay all weekend. Elliot, who Grace and Carrick had just adopted, loved you even though you didn't do much. He'd come with William most weekdays and just sit and stare at you."

"Elliot... Elliot Grey would sit quietly. Wonders shall never cease." Christian chortled taking another bite of his chicken.

"One and the same... anyway your grandma visited, and well, it wasn't an argument I was going to win." Christian knew about that. Carol Grey had paid for his mother's education and gotten her a job at Doherty Industries. "All of a sudden my biggest concerns were no longer concerns, and I felt I could finally breathe. For the first time since I run from home, I truly felt I had a home with the Greys and the Trevelyans, especially William. All of a sudden, I was looking at him in an entirely different light. He made me a promise and twenty-seven years later he has not broken it." She shrugged. "To answer your question, I don't know." Strangely that answered his question. He had no idea what it was about Ana, and maybe that was the answer.

His phone vibrated then, it was the woman in question.

_'If it's possible, could you_

_come round at four. I need _

_you to cause a distraction. _

_Don't ask, I'm not telling.'_

"I take it that is Ana."

"Yeah, she needs me to cause a distraction." Christian murmured.

"What distraction?" He showed his mother the text, Ella laughed. "Well have fun."

"I'm sure it will be." He stood to leave.

"Christian, I do hope that one bedroom apartment you were renting..."

"Long gone." He answered quickly. "Along with my phone." He'd tossed it in the incinerator in the basement. He watched the plastic burn and metal components sizzle.

"The little things make a big difference." She finally looked up from her paperwork.

"Yeah, I know. That aspect of my life is done and dusted there is no going back, so there is no need for me to hang onto them." She nodded with a smile.

"And if you are so inclined, I would love to know the distraction you caused." He chuckled as he left her office. Yeah, he was looking forward to it.


	11. Chapter 11

At a quarter past four Christian saw Ana run out of SIP. He stepped out of his car just as she reached it. "Sorry I'm late, Elizabeth wouldn't..."

"Mr. Grey." Elizabeth appeared in the doorway. Ana sighed and give Christian an apologetic look.

"Yes," Christian answered with an amused look.

"I'm Elizabeth Hyde." His amused look disappeared and was replaced by something akin to trepidation. He had heard a lot about the woman in question, and though he would never admit it to anyone but Ana, she scared him.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hyde." He knew Ana held the woman in very high regard. She and Jack were also the reason Ana had forgiven his stupidity, and above all else had zero issues with his past.

"Yes, I imagine so, and it will stay that way as long as the smile you have put on Ana's face remains there. Ana has come to mean the world to me, she is the little sister I never had. Do not give me a reason to come after you. I have four brothers." Her smile sent a shiver down his spine.

"No, I have no intention of ever hurting Ana or giving anyone a reason to come after me.

"I do have to say despite you getting the girl you continue to send those delicious cupcakes and flowers. You are turning into the perfect boyfriend, keep it up." She sauntered away before he could respond.

"I'm not ashamed to admit it, but she scares me, really scares me." Christian was still staring at the doorway of SIP, even though Elizabeth was long gone.

"We all behave because no one wants to be called into her office." Ana teased, but in reality, it was the truth. Getting called into HR was never fun.

"Let's get out of here before she comes back." Christian murmured as he helped her into the car. He walked around the other side and got in.

"Thanks for coming to get me, you didn't have to."

"It was nothing. I know you don't have a car yet so here I am." He said with an air of nonchalance. "Anyway, I believe I'm here to cause a distraction." He was rather eager to find out.

"Yes." Ana sighed, and he realized this wasn't going to be some fun activity. "Yesterday when Kate thought I was out of earshot, she made a phone call to a woman called Caroline. Caroline was the woman at José's showing." He nodded, not that he needed confirmation that Kavanagh had put the woman up to it, but it helped to have it.

"I need you to distract Kate while I get the woman's number from her phone." He smiled.

"Miss Steele, you are never to be underestimated. I have only known you for a brief time, but I know that and yet your roommate seems blind to that fact."

"People see what they want to see. Kate especially sees what suits her." They pulled up outside her apartment.

"So what's the plan?" Ana wondered out loud.

"I believe just engaging her in conversation should do the trick. The problem is catching her without her phone." Christian said.

"That is not a problem. The first thing Kate does when she gets home is to charge her phone in the bedroom."

"Then she can't see me when she first gets in. We can't take the chance that she might not go straight to her bedroom with me there."

"You are right; she is unlikely to stick to her usual routine with you there," Ana muttered. Christian got out his phone and sent a text. Taylor and his car couldn't be seen.

Ana was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Kate walked in. Christian had somehow managed to get invited to dinner after hopefully distracting Kate. "What are you making?" Kate asked desperate for a home-cooked meal. She couldn't cook to save her life, Ana had pretty much kept her fed for years. She'd had to resort to takeaway since she got back from her holiday.

"Chicken stir fry, quick and simple," Ana murmured.

"Great." Kate cheered as she headed for her bedroom. The minute her door shut behind her Christian emerged from Ana's room with a yawn. He had in truth fallen asleep until he heard Kavanagh.

"I managed to make it into your bedroom far earlier than I thought and what happens, I fall asleep." Ana giggled at his disbelieving look.

"And what exactly did you think would have happened if you hadn't fallen asleep." She teased.

"Oh, I don't know. More of our intimate adventures at the weekend." She blushed and grunted a noncommittal answer. Kate showed her face then. She had, of course, heard him, but decided to wait for precisely three minutes before showing her face. Of course, that wait meant she now knew Ana spent the entire weekend with him. José had led her to believe she had been with friends, but then again it was the Friday night. For all she knew, Christian could have picked her up later that night.

"Oh, hi Christian." He bristled at the use of his name. They sure as hell weren't on first name terms as far as he was concerned.

"Miss Kavanagh." He returned with a stiff nod. He wasn't sure he could manage to feign a modicum of cordiality with her to keep her distracted.

"Please... call me Kate." She leveled a charming smile at him. He managed to smile back but didn't answer. He made his way to the living room and upon seeing a copy of the Seattle Times knew just how to distract her.

"By the way congratulations on the Pulitzer Prize nomination." He was genuine in his praise.

"Yeah, daddy was disappointed we didn't win." A win did wonders for the journalist and paper they worked for.

"Been nominated is still an achievement in its self." Christian sat down and grabbed the paper. There was a small article in the entertainment section about his parents. He as usual ignored it and moved on to the financial section.

Kate stood racking her brain for something to talk about. He, of course, knew that and was grateful for her to continue. Seconds later he got a text on his phone, he quickly checked it and had to chuckle. Anastasia could have very well come out and ended this farce of a conversation, but no, she was leaving him with the insufferable Miss Kavanagh. "Anastasia is the food ready, I am starving. We could have gone to the Mile High club for dinner at this rate." Ana showed her face then.

"Then let's," Ana said with a shrug.

"Actually, that is an excellent idea."

"I will put the chicken away and get ready. Give me fifteen minutes." She quickly left him with Kate who was standing there looking positively lost.

"Could you bring me my jacket, it's on the back of your chair," Christian shouted at Ana who he knew could hear him even from her room. "Honestly Katherine, you getting sick on the day of the interview is the best thing that happened to me."

"I wouldn't have guessed someone like Ana would be your type." She was seething but somehow held it together.

"I didn't think I had a type until I met her. Women have done nothing but throw themselves at me since I hit puberty. You name it I have seen it, but there is a rare combination of effortless beauty, charm, grace, and intelligence that I have yet to see until I met Anastasia. She reminds me of the women in my family, the minute my mother and aunty met her, I knew no other woman would do. She is it for me, and I pray I am it for her." Kate found herself looking at a man who had already fallen hard for her roommate. She managed a nod and a tentative smile.

"Well, enjoy your evening." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She rushed to her room before the tears fell.

Ana soon came out in a blue lace halter dress that ended just above mid-thigh. "Miss Steele, a man has only got so much willpower." He made no effort to hide his lascivious stare.

"Your willpower is just fine." She quipped as she grabbed her house keys. "You are going to have to hold onto me. It doesn't matter how hard I try; I just don't get along with heels."

"I am at your service." He bowed at the waist earning an eye roll from her.

"Come on Rico Suave, Let's go I'm starving." Christian took her hand and led her out of the apartment.

"Can you do anything with the number?" Ana asked as they waited for the elevator.

"Oh yeah, I will have her name and address in no time." He replied nonchalantly. "Welch, my go-to man for such things, he is the best in the business. He will get it done in the morning."

"Cool." Ana wondered what he would do with the information. She was sure he would confront the woman in question. She also wondered what the outcome of that confrontation would lead to in terms of Kate.

"Do you drive anything outside of Audi's?"

"Nope." Taylor got the door for them. "Where are my manners? I never introduced you two. Anastasia, this is Jason Taylor, the head of my personal security and CPO. Jason, Anastasia Steele, my girlfriend." The pride at using that word rolled off him in waves.

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Steele."

"You too." Ana couldn't help her giggle.

"Yeah, got my first one when I got into Harvard and I have never looked back. My parents bought me the two-door TT roadster. Loved that car." Of course, he loved the attention it got him from the females on campus. "Here we are." He couldn't wipe the smile off his face. He didn't think he would be spending time with her so soon after their weekend together.

"Why are your sisters moving to New York?" Ana asked as they were seated in the corner, away from prying eyes.

"They are both attending Columbia." He said proudly.

"Your sisters are that young." That surprised Ana. Then she remembered his mother had him young, she had said as much.

"Yeah, I've got nearly a decade on them, not that it earns me any more respect from them." He growled playfully.

"I doubt that very much. I'm sure they look up to you." The waiter arrived with a menu and a bottle of Christian's favorite wine and a bottle of water.

"Will you have a little wine with me?" He had learned she wasn't much of a drinker over the weekend.

"I'm sure I can manage a glass." She said.

"Excellent." He filled her glass and his. "A toast... to us." He raised his glass hers joined his.

"Are they following you and your mother into the business or your dad?"

"They have no idea what they want to do. I'm just praying one of them makes up their mind soon. Knowing Disney, the minute one makes a decision, the other soon follows."

"Disney?" Ana questioned.

Christian laughed. "Yeah, the oldest by a whopping twelve minutes is Aurora, and the younger is Ariel."

"Oh." Ana giggled. "That is a rather apt nickname."

"It is, courtesy of my cousin Elliot." Their meals arrived then. They'd both ordered the steak with the sautéed root vegetables and red wine jus. "Elliot thinks you don't like him."

"Yeah well, I'm not going to take to anyone who keeps me up all night... especially the night before my graduation. I have also had the displeasure of seeing the caliber of men in and out of our old apartment. Truth be told, I shouldn't be so hard on him, it is not his fault I didn't get any sleep. Kate should have known better." She shrugged.

"He is an incredible man when you get to know him. For a while, he and Mia were my siblings in a way. I was an only child for a long time." Ana nodded. "Anyway, Elliot is staying well clear of Kavanagh, he wasn't serious about her to begin with. Now that he knows where her real interest lies, he is not going back even just for fun."

"Well, she is saying she had no idea who he was in relation to you," Ana muttered with an eye roll.

"It makes no difference. Let's be honest; we both know Kavanagh will be calling him now that she knows who he is to get close to me."

"That wouldn't surprise me." With that, they moved on to a more pleasant conversation. Katherine Kavanagh would be a thorn in their side until utterly destroyed. Christian knew just where to start.

* * *

"Katie, this is Christian Grey we are talking about," Ethan said in an attempt to placate his sister. "He is no more serious about her than he has been about any other woman. Listening to that tape, it sounds to me like a man who for the first time in his life has heard no and is now determined to get his way. I have seen so many men like him. He will get her to fall in love with her and then the minute she gives it up, he will show his true colors." Ethan sneered. "The idea of Ana dating Grey doesn't sit well with me at all. For years I have hoped she would look my way, but she only ever saw me as a friend, and yet she gives a man whore like Grey a chance. Nice guys do truly finish last. I will bide my time, Grey will break Ana's heart, and I will swoop in and pick up the pieces." Kate stared at her brother in awe. She had to admit it all made so much sense. She wanted to believe it, but she had seen the look in Christian's eyes.

"You didn't see him Ethan... he is in love with her already," Kate whispered as more tears made their way down her cheeks.

"Oh please, the best way to get a girl to fall for you faster is to win over her friends. He is making conversation with you, congratulating you on the papers' Pulitzer nomination. This is the same man who has made his disdain for the Seattle Times well known numerous times. No, he is well aware you have some knowledge of his history and trying to make sure you don't bad mouth him to Ana. The minute he gets what he wants he will toss her aside." He sighed. "Of all the men out there why him? What makes you think the minute he gets what he wants from you he wouldn't toss you aside like he has everyone else? You want my advice... move on, find someone who will cherish and respect you enough not to get his head turned by the next pretty thing in a skirt."

"If it's Grey you want... then hang in there. I hope you have taken into consideration the loss of your only true friend when things work out with you and Christian." Kate hadn't considered that at all, all she could think about right now was getting Ana out of the way.

"Well, she didn't take our friendship into consideration when she started dating him." She snarked.

"Really Katie, does Ana even know how you feel about Grey?" For once she had the decency to look embarrassed.

"No, she doesn't know." But it didn't matter; with Christian on her arm friends weren't needed. She'd have the Grey family.

"And what about me?" He would use everything he had to push her off this path.

"What about you?" she asked entirely confused.

"If things work out with Ana, you do realize she will then be family." Kate smiled at the thought.

"Actually Ethan, that would be perfect. She will have you so why would she care about Christian then." Her tears were now a thing of the past, as she basked in the possible future her dear brother had helped her see.

Truth be told, Ethan Kavanagh was concerned by his sister's obsession with the Grey's. All Kate talked about was one day becoming a Grey. He also feared for Ana, Kate could be vindictive when she didn't get her way. Right now, as far as Kate was concerned, Ana stood in the way of her fulfilling her ultimate goal. He hoped his words would have Kate patiently waiting in the wings for something that will never be. He walked out of the apartment into a slight chill in the air despite the time of year.

He felt the need to warn Ana about Kate, although he knew she had the measure of Kate. At the same time, Kate was also an entirely different person around Ana, she was calmer if that could be believed. He had to find a way to do this without Kate's knowledge.

As he walked to his car, an Audi SUV pulled up, the two occupants laughing uproariously over Ana's story about her failed attempt to fix a book with nails and hammer as a child. "This was unexpected but welcome," Ana said as they walked to the apartment.

"Indeed," Christian muttered.

"I believe this is where I bid you good night." Christian murmured her hand still in his.

"It was a lovely night, and I enjoyed myself," Ana whispered.

"I'm glad." He stepped in and lowered his lips to hers. It was a soft kiss that quickly escalated. Ana threaded her fingers through Christian's hair. He pinned Ana against the door as they continued to kiss, tongues dueling for the sheer pleasure of it. They were finally forced to pull apart when the need to breathe became too much.

"Goodnight, Miss Steele." He uttered softly. She quickly got the door opened and entered.

"Goodnight, Christian." She shut the door with a soft click. Ana walked through the apartment to her room with a smile no one could wipe off. She got changed, washed her face got into bed and fell asleep with that smile still present.


	12. Chapter 12

"Mr. Grey."

"Mr. Kavanagh." Christian had been surprised to learn the boy was in lobby asking to speak to him urgently. Of course, he would typically have sent him away, but he had said it was about Anastasia.

"We need to talk." He didn't need to ask what about from the look on Ethan's face.

"Your sister is about to pick a fight she cannot win. I will advise you to warn her of this path." Christian was not in the mood to deal with Katherine Kavanagh and her shit.

"I tried my best, but she is set on a course no one but you can alter. She needs to know she doesn't stand a chance whether Ana is in the picture or not."

"And you believe that will make a difference."

Ethan looked resigned. "No, I don't believe it will. She seems to have an answer and a solution to everything. Right now, I have kept her off yours and Ana's back for a few months."

"And how did you manage that?" Christian knew Kate was going to be an issue, but if her own brother was this concerned, this was going to be bigger than he imagined.

"I lead her to believe you weren't serious about Ana."

Christian Grey didn't look happy. "How was that supposed to help?" He took a menacing step toward Ethan.

"She won't go after Ana because if you aren't serious about her, then she isn't a threat." He added hurriedly before things took a violent turn.

"I want to know everything that was talked about between you and that demented excuse for a sister of yours." Christian snarled.

Ethan found himself wondering if he was going to make it out of Grey house in one piece. Christian Grey was vibrating with anger. "As much as I hate to admit it, you are right. You have kept your sister from doing something stupid." Christian knew there was nothing altruistic about Ethan's move. The boy loved his insane sister and was determined to save her. Hurting Ana would not only cost Kate everything but the entire Kavanagh clan. It was apparent they'd known about her obsession for years and did nothing about it. There was nothing wrong in setting your sight on someone, but when it becomes clear that that someone isn't interested in you, you move on. In Katherine Kavanagh's world, it merely meant you got rid of the competition. It was time for Ana to move out.

"You can leave now... and do yourselves a favor and keep an eye on that sister of yours." Christian felt like storming into the Kavanagh Media building and making it clear in front of her colleagues just how much he loathed her, and would rather have his skin sliced off with a blunt knife than touch her.

"FUCK." He grabbed his coat and stormed out of his office. "Andrea, cancel all my appointments for the day. If any of them give you grief tell them to go fuck themselves." Taylor shrugged when she stared with her mouth wide open before disappearing into the elevator.

"Where to sir," Taylor asked getting behind the wheel.

"SIP, quickly before I change my mind and head for Kavanagh Media." He sighed slamming his head back against the headrest. He knew Kavanagh would be jealous of her roommate, but the idea that she would hurt Ana infuriated him to no end. The entire drive to SIP he prayed Ana would agree to move out without a fight. "Jason, I'm guessing you know an assassin or two."

"No, sir," Jason answered with a chuckle.

"Shame." Christian murmured.

They arrived At SIP shortly after. As desperate as he was to talk to her he wasn't about to disturb her workday. He sat in the car and waited for lunchtime. He sent Ana a text asking to have lunch together. For the first time since Ethan Kavanagh stepped into his office, he felt a little better when she replied with a yes.

Ten minutes before she was due, he sent Taylor to grab lunch. For the first time in his life, he cared about someone outside of his family. If he was honest with himself, he was quickly hurtling towards love, and surprisingly it didn't scare him. Katherine fucking Kavanagh was threatening all that. A knock on the window had him looking up. Despite his mood, a smile graced his features, and he quickly opened the door for Ana.

"Hey, you didn't look too happy before I knocked on the window." Ana had watched him for a while before making her presence known. He appeared lost in thought, and whatever it was, it angered him.

"Yeah." He let out a loud resigned sigh. "I got a visit from Ethan Kavanagh today."

"What did he want?" Ana couldn't imagine why Ethan would go and see Christian in the first place.

"He came to talk about his sister. Last night while you changed for dinner, she and I talked, and I made it clear she had none of the qualities you possess. I made it clear you were... I may have gone overboard in my praise of you."

"You went overboard... how?"

"Okay, I didn't. I told her the truth, and it was clear she couldn't handle it. She rushed to her room before she could cry in front of me. I knew she was about to cry yesterday."

"Let me guess, she did cry and called Ethan to come be the shoulder."

"She did."

"That is Kate through and through. When she doesn't get what she wants she resorts to crying and emotional blackmail. I swear that is what is coming my way. Eventually, she will tell me how much she has always loved you and would expect me to just step aside for her. This morning she was all smiles, telling me we needed to catch up it has been too long. I know it's a ploy to see what information she can use against me." Ana was incensed.

"Ethan thinks you are in danger from her." That got Ana's attention. "He felt it was best to have her sister believe I wasn't serious about you."

"How?" Christian repeated the conversation the sibling had and then the conversation he had with Ethan.

"Ana Katherine Kavanagh is dangerous." Ana wasn't going to dispute it. She now finally understood the gravity of Kate obsession with Christian and his family. "The only reason I know this is because of Mia and Disney." He signed in annoyance. "Kavanagh had a best friend growing up, Amanda. The story is they were as close as two people could get, even saw themselves as sisters. In junior year of high school, the two found themselves enamored with the same guy. Amanda threw a party and rumor has it, Amanda ended up making out with the boy in question. Kavanagh heard the rumor and didn't take it well. She retaliated by humiliating Amanda in front of the entire school. Kavanagh weakened the stitches in the girls cheerleading costume. Down to the underwear that came with the costume. Mid cheer poor Amanda found herself showing her all to the entire school. Long story short, Amanda hadn't made out with the boy, turned out the boy liked someone else, and they had been making out in Amanda's room. When Kavanagh realized her mistake it was too late, Amanda wanted nothing to do with her, and with everyone now knowing what Kavanagh could be like, kept her at a distance. She had friends, but not anyone she could say was a close friend." Ana stared at Christian for a few seconds and then threw head back against the headrest.

"This is what it has come to... high school drama." She sighed and then started laughing. Christian couldn't help but chuckle, as that very thought occurred to him.

"It would appear so. Unfortunately, it is one to be taken seriously. I have a plan... one I hope will work. You also need to move out."

"You don't need to tell me twice. The only problem is finding a place within my budget and the headache of moving."

"That is not a problem. I know a few people who can help if you will let me."

"What sort of help?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. That always reminded him of his mother.

"They will make you aware of any rentals before it is listed."

"That will really help. Thank you, Christian." He nodded with a smile. She didn't argue, and it was a great weight off his shoulders.

_Now, onto the next hurdle._

"I need to put security on you. I promise you, you will not know he's there." He argued.

"Will he be following me in an Audi?" Despite the seriousness of the situation he laughed.

"No, he will not." He answered still laughing.

"So what is the plan?"

"Sex." He watched her with a perverse sense of satisfaction, as she looked at him with her mouth open.

"I'm sorry... I could have... what about it?" She finally settled for a question.

"You need to get Kavanagh to believe during your talk that you intend to make me wait."

"Oh, I see. Thanks to Ethan she now believes you will dump me after sex. If she believes I'm making you wait, then she keeps waiting."

"That's right, although it's just a stop gap. Eventually, she will know I have no intention of leaving you no matter what. This though will keep her off our backs for a few months."

"I agree." She couldn't help but add. "Should be an easy sell, after all, you will be waiting." Taylor arrived with their food before he could say anything about that statement.

They continued to strategize about how to deal with Kate and also use Caroline Carmichael. "Thanks for lunch, despite the subject of conversation it was fun. I feel like I'm in a movie." She giggled.

"I agree." He chuckled. "Might I add..." he started as Taylor got the door for her. "As the leading man it is my God given right to seduce the hell out of the leading lady, and that is what I intend to do." She was at a loss for words, so said nothing.

* * *

That evening Kate Kavanagh came home to find a smiling Ana dancing in the kitchen while she cooked. She had resigned herself to another night of takeaway but was pleased to see Ana cooking. "Someone is in a good mood." She teased.

"Yeah, things at work are... Jack is beyond the best as bosses go. Do you know we are talking promotion?" Kate looked as expected, surprised. "Yeah, I know," Ana said her smile splitting her face. "Then Christian turned up with lunch." She sighed almost dreamingly.

"So... you and Christian." Kate had had time to think about how to approach this conversation. She wasn't going to say anything negative, but she was simply going to open Ana's eyes to any fault she brought up. She was going sow doubt when the opportunity came and knew Ana well enough to know she would get the opportunity. Ana was a thinker, an over thinker and sometimes to her very detriment.

"Yeah, I mean I agreed to the date so he'd show up at José's show, but it turned out well. Even with that woman turning up and everything..."

"What woman?" Kate sounded angry for her, but Ana knew better.

"Oh, this was interesting. This woman waited till I was alone and pounced. Pretty much told me the same thing you did about you and Christian..." Before Kate could jump on that, Ana dropped a bombshell. "...but I knew she was lying, so I wasn't the least bit bothered."

"How did you know she was lying?" Kate wondered if she had made a mistake in what she told Caroline to tell Ana.

"You always thought Christian was gay because..."

"He was never seen in public with any woman aside from those in his family." Kate murmured. Still, her mistake did not register.

"Yet, according to this woman, she was at the Coping Together gala with Christian." Katherine Kavanagh was kicking herself. She couldn't believe she had made such a mistake. Of course, it was just like Ana to pick up on such a minor detail.

"She couldn't have known you'd know that," Kate grumbled.

"No, later when Christian and I were talking, he confirmed it without realizing. He wasn't even in the country last summer to attend the gala."

"Be that as it may, it doesn't change his history." Kate found herself going against her own plan in a moment of desperation.

"He was brutally honest about that." That damn near floored Kate. "Shocked the hell out of me. I understood his reason. If I know it all, then no woman can ever use his past against us."

"So... you really are serious about dating him?"

"Yeah, but I'm going to take things slow, and he understands that."

"You mean..."

"Yep, I am not going to jump into bed with him just because... I will when I'm good and ready, and who knows it could be months from now." Kate just stared with nothing to say. "There you go." Ana placed a plate of chicken stir-fry in front of her.

"Thanks," Kate muttered absentmindedly.

* * *

Christian Grey didn't give two shits about Caroline Carmichael. She was a blip in the grand scheme of things. Had he lost Ana, Caroline would be praying for salvation that would never come, but in the end, he got the girl. Now, he had Kavanagh to contend with, and Caroline Carmichael was just the weapon he would use. He knocked on the door and waited. "One sec." He could hear her rushing to the door, but then nothing. He realized she must have looked in the peephole and seen him.

"Miss Carmichael, I know you are in so open the door, we both know I heard you." After a beat, the door slowly opened. Good evening, Miss Carmichael, I do believe you have some explaining to do." She stepped back and allowed him and Taylor in.

"Mr. Grey, I..." Christian put his hand up stopping her.

"I don't give a shit about you, or what you did, my problem is with the woman that put you up to it."

"Katherine Kavanagh, she's the girl's roommate." Christian turned to look at Taylor, who looked just as stunned at the speed at which the woman gave Kavanagh up.

"I already know that, and so does Ana. In a few minutes, you are going to call Miss Kavanagh and put on the best performance of your life."

"Anything... hell she went back on her word because it didn't work."

Caroline had called Kate twice, but she hadn't answered. She could see it was something Christian expected. Just over a quarter of an hour later Kate called back. "Hey." Kate sounded subdued which Caroline didn't expect. "It sounds like you are having a bad night, and well... it's about to get worse."

"What?" Kate asked with little energy.

"Christian Grey visited me." Complete and utter silence on the other end of the line.

"What?" Kate whispered.

"Christian Grey found me, he said my actions had no effect, but should I cross him again I will regret it. Mr. Grey said he never met me because he was not at the Coping Together gala last summer; he wasn't even in the country, so he knew I was lying. The plan didn't work because of the script you gave me." Caroline snarled, she couldn't believe she had allowed Katherine Kavanagh to put her in this position.

"I just figured it out myself," Kate admitted. "Did you tell him it was me?"

"No, but I have the feeling he already knew. He didn't even care to ask."

"Thanks, Caroline. I will meet my end of the deal. It wasn't your fault it didn't work."

"I don't really care anymore to be honest with you. It wasn't worth it." She was silent for a beat then further proceeded to ruin Kate's night. "Oh, one more thing. You told me you told your friend something similar. If she knew I was lying, then it stands to reason she knows you are lying too. Good luck, you will need it." Caroline hanged up then. She looked up at Christian who nodded.

"Good job, Miss Carmichael. For your sake, I hope we never cross paths again." With that, they left her apartment.

* * *

Ana wasn't the least bit surprised that Kate had gone out of her way to avoid her. She knew Kate was trying to figure out how to play the latest development to her advantage. Ana had been skeptical when Christian wanted to clue Kate in on the fact that Ana knew she had lied about her been with Christian. Christian argument had been it would be another thing that made Kate back off, Ana hadn't believed it, but it was precisely what had transpired. Ana had been so sure Kate would come to her and in some way told Ana she had lied, but then Kate would only have produced another lie to explain away the first lie. She also had to tell Kate she was moving out, which was proving difficult as her roommate was avoiding her. A knock on the door brought a smile to her face. She practically tore the door open. "Hey, come in." Christian walked in with a large bouquet of wildflowers.

"Here you go." He handed over the flowers with a kiss.

"Thanks, beautiful as always." She couldn't but be reminded of the first flowers she received from him. "Okay, I'm ready to go." He took hold of her hand as always.

"Where is your roommate?" He whispered as they walked out the door.

"She got in late last night with her latest conquest in tow, she is likely still asleep. To be honest with you, I don't really care."

"Can't say I blame you. Ready to meet the family?"

"Yes." She smiled, and so did he.


	13. Chapter 13

_**JULY 1985**_

"_Do you date?" The question caught William off guard._

"_Honestly, no. For most of my junior year and the beginning of my senior year, I had a girlfriend, but we broke up and since then..." He shrugged unsure how to answer that._

"_No one has caught your interest since then." He gave her a look that had her backing off. She knew he was interested in her and had for some time. He was also aware she knew that so the question annoyed the hell out of him. _

"_Sorry." She mumbled. "I... I... just wanted to check..."_

"_Check what?" A small part of him felt hopeful._

"_I wanted to make sure it was still the case." She whispered._

"_You could just have asked." _

"_I know... I just didn't know how to." She admitted._

"_Ella, I have not hidden how I feel and where I would love us to be, but I also value our friendship a great deal. Don't... I'd rather our friendship than you doing something out of..." _

"_No, for the longest time I have had so much to focus on and worry about. My focus has been on how I can be in a position to care for Christian and myself. Have us in a position where we had some financial security. I had to think about furthering my education while raising a son and working. Your mother made all those worries redundant. With those concerns no longer clouding everything I have had a chance to think, and well, I realize I'm open to the idea of being more than friends." William wasn't sure he had the words to explain just how much she meant to him, so he just smiled. It was enough to alleviate any fears of rejection Ella might have had._

"_Would you have dinner with me this evening?" William finally managed._

"_I would love to." She whispered._

_William had been surprised when he showed up and found Christian was at Carrick's. A small part of him had high hopes for what that meant, but after an entire day of nothing much from Ella, that hope had begun to dwindle. The two had barely talked, and he had worried the only thing connecting them was Christian. As it turned out, Ella was simply nervous and worse, feared rejection. _

"_How about we get out of here... maybe see a movie and grab something to eat."_

"_Sounds great." She felt as though she could finally breathe. "I would kill for a burger." She added._

"_You and me both. You know how mom is about food. The only chance I get to eat any sort of junk food is when I know I'm not heading home anytime soon. She can smell the junk on you from a mile away." Carol Grey was known for her healthy lifestyle, and unfortunately for her family, they had the same lifestyle forced on them. They'd all grudgingly admit they were better for it. _

_William grabbed his car keys, and they headed out the door. "Any idea what you want to see?" William asked. He didn't care what she picked he'd see it._

"_Back to the Future." Ella could see the relief on his face. She couldn't help laughing. "What did you think I was going to pick?"_

"_Oh, I don't know, Pee-wee's Big Adventure or something just as awful." He teased._

"_It's a damn good thing you are driving." She warned, not that William took her threat seriously._

_The drive to the theatre was short, and he soon found a spot to park. "Hey, Will."_

"_Oh, crap," William muttered under his breath._

"_Randy." He stepped closer to Ella, wrapping his arms around her waist._

"_Hey Will," Randy had his eye on Ella much to William's annoyance. "Hey, I'm Randy. Never seen you before. Are you are at Michigan with us?" He put his hand back down when it became apparent Ella wasn't going to shake his hand._

"_No, I'm starting this coming academic year."_

"_Oh, cool." He muttered. "Well, see you guys around." Randy still had his eyes on Ella as he walked away. _

"_That guy..."_

"_Is a fucking asshole." William finished._

"_Why do I get the feeling you don't like him." Ella quipped._

"_He thinks he's God's gift to women, all he is is a creep with a real talent for being an asshole," William groused. Ella saw that much about Randy, everything about their short meeting proved it. She hoped to never see him again, but that was unlikely as he was at Michigan. _

_Without thought, Ella turned towards William and kissed him. William wasted no time responding. It was more two lips squished together, but it meant a hell of a lot to the two of them. "You, William Grey, are God's gift to me," Ella whispered shyly. William, all of a sudden, found himself grateful for Randy's interruption. Hand in hand, they walked to the movie theatre._

* * *

Christian stared at the car Taylor had parked in front of. He knew it well. "Is something wrong?" Ana asked.

"No, I just happen to know who your roommate is with. His name is Alexi, he works for me." It seemed as though half the men that worked at GEH had been with Kavanagh.

"Oh." Ana couldn't think of anything else to say.

"None of my business. They are all adults." He murmured. He couldn't bring himself to tell Ana her friend had the kind of reputation that made it difficult for any man to take her seriously. Katherine Kavanagh was the type of girl he went out of his way to make sure he was not seen with. She was the girl you fucked and moved on, not introduce to your family. That was the girl obsessed with him, he shuddered at the thought. It was hypocritical of him, but it was the world they lived in.

"Christian." Ana took hold of his hand. "Are you sure you are okay?" He hadn't said a word since that comment about Kate, and he appeared withdrawn.

"The standard for men has never been high, in fact, there hasn't ever really been a standard, but for women it's... it's unfair, we all know that and yet we continue to expect some of those standards from women."

"I'm guessing this came about because of Kate's history with men."

"I have the same history with women, and if your thinking were along the same lines as mine, you wouldn't be here with me."

"We have the ability to make choices, and we made them. Kate would one day meet a guy who just like me won't give two shits about her history if she ever gets over you. That would be his choice, I also happen to know men who won't date a woman because she has no experience, it works both ways. In the past, women didn't have much of a choice, and now they do. Kate's history is willfully self-inflicted. Put it out of your mind, I believe we are here." He looked out the window and realized they were.

"Indeed, we are."

"This is beautiful," Ana murmured as she looked around.

"My grandma Carol loves my mom..." Christian chuckled. "She was instrumental in her finally deciding to date dad. Mom's sole concerns were Christian, finances, and education. Grandma Carol took care of the finances and education. She gifted the house to my parents when they decided to move to Seattle. The rest of the family had already moved here years earlier. Anyway, you will meet her soon. Fair warning, the grandparentals have zero filter."

"Thanks," Ana giggled at the look on Christian's face. She had a feeling the grandparents' lack of filter usually resulted in embarrassing the grandchildren more than the guest.

As always they held hands as they made their way through the house. They found Ella and Grace in the kitchen. "Hey, mom, aunty Grace." They both looked up, and whatever greeting Christian was about to receive was shelved.

"Hello, Ana, such a pleasure to see you again." Ella pulled her in for a hug.

"Hello, Dr. Grey."

"None of that formal nonsense it's Ella. You remember Christian's aunt."

"Yes, hello, Dr..."

"It's Grace," Grace interjected.

"And I'm Christian." All three women just stared at him. Ana and his mom had both raised a single eyebrow at him. "Just reminding you I'm here."

"You brought a girl home, get used to being ignored." His mom said although hugging him with a kiss on the cheek to boot. "Everyone is out back, we will join you soon." The two walked outside to loud music, and some people already in the pool.

"CHRIS." The twins bellowed in unison.

"That would be Disney." He whispered as the twins ran over.

"You must be Ana. I'm Aurora, and this is Ariel."

"Nice to meet you," Ana greeted.

"Never thought we'd see the day Chris would bring a girl home," Ariel added.

"She doesn't need to hear your thoughts." He retorted.

"Considering the crap that came out of his mouth the first time I met him. I didn't think I would be the girl he'd take home to his family either," Ana's come back had everyone within earshot cackling with laughter.

"Ouch." Christian grabbed his chest in jest.

Ana was introduced to Mia, Carrick, who was behind the largest grill Ana had ever seen, both sets of grandparents and then Christian's father. "Ana, this is my dad, William."

"Hello, Ana, it is a pleasure to finally meet the young lady who gave my son a run for his money."

"What a run considering how much money he has." Grandma Carol muttered loudly. Both William and Ana just chuckled at the comment. Christian just rolled his eyes.

An hour into the party, Ana was sat on Christian's lap as they ate from the same plate. "So Ana, Christian has been pretty tight-lipped about you." Christian just glared at Ariel, not that she paid any attention to him.

"For good reason," Christian muttered.

"He kept tight-lipped because he was sure he didn't stand a chance," Elliot interjected.

"Really, E." Christian glared at him.

"Your roommate must be dying inside," Aurora added her two cents. Christian gave up and went back to his ribs.

"Yes, it's a rather slow and excruciating death," Ana teased.

"Does she know you are moving out tomorrow?" Christian asked as Ana hadn't mentioned it.

"No, I haven't seen her all week. She has been avoiding me. If I don't see her before then I will have to tell her over the phone," Ana shrugged.

"You do what you must." Christian agreed with her plan.

"How is the world of publishing?" A smile broke out on Ana's face at Elliot's question.

"Christian, I'm about to sing the praises of another man." Ana teased, earning an eye roll from him.

"Knock yourself out." And she did. Jack Hyde had, indeed, proved to be the best thing that happened to Ana professionally. He and Elizabeth had also played a role in her and Christian getting to where they were now.

"So, you love working for Jack?" Elliot quipped.

"Love is inadequate." She returned.

"Okay, enough of that." Christian murmured wrapping his arms around her, earning a giggle from Ana.

"So your roommate." Aurora started.

"Aurora, let it go. Kavanagh is nothing but trouble that Ana will be away from by tomorrow evening. If you want to gossip about Kavanagh, I'm sure several people are willing to indulge you." Christian warned.

"You are ruining all my fun." Aurora crossed her arms and pouted.

"What do you want to know?" Ana, new to the twins, fell for the pout.

"Don't fall for the pout. Don't even look at her." Elliot warned. Christian physically moved Ana effectively breaking her eye contact with Aurora.

"There is some kind of juju in those eyes and pout... I swear." Despite how serious he was, Ana struggled to contain her giggle. A small part of her could understand Kate's obsession with becoming a member of their family, especially if she had spent years hearing about them.

* * *

"Hey, Ana..." Kate froze at the sight of Ana's things in boxes. "Ana, what is this?"

"I have been trying to tell you all week, but you seemed to never be around. I am moving out."

"Moving out... we just moved here together. Why?" Kate was panicking, with Ana gone she would never be close to Christian, never get the chance to talk to him, show him the kind of woman she is. Why would Christian continue to come to their apartment if Ana was no longer living there? Yes, she was getting tired of sneaking guys into her own apartment, she couldn't have Christian believing she was a whore. It was bad enough that she'd already slept with his cousin.

"Kate, I got a great deal that I just couldn't turn down. Let's be honest, we both need our space. I know you want the freedom to date, and well, I want the same freedom with Christian." Clearly, she hadn't been sneaky enough with the guys. Was Ana telling Christian about the men? The fear that shot through Kate at the thought of Christian knowing surprised her.

"It's never been a problem before," Kate argued.

"Then why are you hiding, sneaking guys in and out of here. I have never judged your dating life, and you have never felt the need to hide it from me, so why are you now." Ana didn't think Kate would make it so easy for her.

Kate could not answer that with the truth, and nothing else would do, so she did what anyone unwilling to tell the truth did, she changed the subject. Kate would soon learn that was also a mistake. "Is this because I lied to you about Christian and me."

"No, if that were the case, I would have moved out before you came back from Barbados."

"I was trying to save you from heartbreak. I may have lied about me, but I'm telling you guys like him only know how to use women." Ana just stared at her.

"I have known you for over four years. I have been there with you through it all, the good and the bad. I know when you are lying Kate, and I know you are lying now. If you don't want to tell me the real reason for your lie, don't, but stop treating me like an idiot." Kate just stared. "I know all about Christian's past, I know more about his past than you'll ever know." Neither had any idea those words would set Kate off.

"I AM IN LOVE WITH HIM, THAT'S WHY." She collapsed on the floor, her head buried in her hands. "I have always loved him. Since I was old enough to have a crush, I have had it for one man, and one man only. Of course, I didn't want you to date him. He is mine, and you took him away from me." She finally looked up at Ana, the sneer on her face didn't surprise her.

"Wouldn't it have been better if you told me that instead of the lie?" Ana asked softly.

"Would you have stepped aside?" Kate snarked with a humorless chuckle.

"YES, knowing how you feel about him, why would I date him after you have poured your heart out." As it turned out, Ana could lie to Kate. Kate stared at her friend incredulously, she didn't have a selfless bone in her body, but she knew Ana did. She found herself wondering why she hadn't gone with the truth from the very beginning.

"I should have been honest with you. Will you step aside now?" She looked imploringly at her friend, her only real friend.

"No," Ana whispered shocking Kate.

"But you just said..."

"That was before I started dating him and got to know the man. Now... I cannot give him up." Kate imploring look morphed into a sinister one. "But there is one thing I will do. In fact, there is one thing I will advise you to do. Christian will be here in a few minutes. Sit down, talk to him, tell him the truth, and then we can go from there." Kate ever-changing emotion took another turn. This time, it was unadulterated joy.

"That is fair." Kate bolted up and hugged Ana.

"I will in fact, leave the apartment and give you two a chance to talk."

"Ana, you are the only true friend I have. If he says he is not interested, then I will bow out gracefully. She could make that promise because she truly did not see it going any other way but hers."

"So will I," Ana promised knowing it was one she'd never have to keep.

"Are you going to tell him?" Kate was eager for Christian to get there.

"No, I want him to make a decision on his own without any influence from me."

"God... Ana." She pulled the girl into a hug. "I am sorry, anybody else and..." Ana realized that Kate truly believed she had already won. Not a single part of Ana felt sorry for her. "I can help you with the cost of the new apartment," Kate added not because she was hoping to alleviate any guilt she felt because she felt none. As far as she was concerned, she was getting what was rightfully hers. No, Kate now wanted Ana gone as soon as possible.

"No, haven't you wondered about Wanda."

"Yeah, come to think of it, I haven't seen that piece of junk anywhere." Kate laughed.

"I sold that piece of junk for nearly thirty thousand dollars." Kate's jaw dropped as expected.

"I'm sorry... WHAT!"

"You heard me. Apparently, it's a rare classic worth that much and more when restored. Then José sold some portraits of me and annoyingly put thirteen thousand dollars into my account without my knowledge." She just shrugged as Kate just stared agog.

"Wow." She whispered.

"I know," Ana giggled. "I'm good for rent for a good while. Hell, I can put down a deposit for an apartment if I wished." Ana wondered how Kate would feel if she knew the apartment in question was in Escala. Kate hugged Ana again and skipped off to her room firm in her belief that Christian was now hers.

Ana shook her head in disbelief, then quickly sent Christian an email. She wished she could see the look on his face when he heard the conversation.

As if she wasn't going to clue Christian into what was about to happen. Kate would more than likely lie and Ana wasn't about to let her get away with it.

* * *

For ten minutes Christian stared at his screen after listening to the recording Anastasia sent him. Taylor was struggling to keep a straight face. "I can't believe she would just give me away... just like that." Taylor lost it then and cracked up laughing.

"You have to admit, it is genius. Miss Steele is giving her a chance she has always wanted. Her obsession with you is well hidden, had it not been for your sisters you would never have known. We would have been in the dark until it was too late. Miss Steele would have bought her excuse about saving her from you and being in the dark about the danger Miss Kavanagh posed.

You have the chance to make your position clear. Let's be honest, she won't go away, but she will at least know that with or without Ana, you are not interested. She has given you the chance to be as nasty as possible. You will leave her in no doubt as to how you feel regarding her. You will not give her a shred of hope to hang onto. You will tear that girl down until she hates your guts." Taylor advised.

"That hate might turn into something else." They entered the building as a resident was leaving.

"There will always be something else with Kavanagh, isn't that the reason Ana is moving out and into the most secure residential building in the city. You and all that you have are a stone throw away from Ana. I will be shocked if she goes away after this. Obsessions like hers don't die because the object of said obsession doesn't want them. Above all else, her ire will now have a new target, you, and we'd all prefer that."

"You are right." At some point this week he would have to go and see her parents and hopefully put a stop to it. He'd have to also talk to uncle Carrick about getting a restraining order.

"Jason, do me a favor and stop smiling." He groused as they entered the elevator.

"Can't be helped, sir. I mean you finally met the one, and a woman you have no history with is the one causing problems."

"Never even thought about that." He murmured as the elevator doors opened. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.


	14. Chapter 14

Ana struggled to keep a straight face as she stared at Christian who glared at Jason, who like Ana couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "Ready to go," Christian asked as he walked into the apartment.

"Yeah, I'm packed and ready," Taylor called Sawyer and Reynolds to help with the boxes.

"Christian." Kate practically purred. "Can I speak to you for a minute?"

"I don't have time..."

"While my stuff is taken to the car while you and Kate talk," Ana jumped in even though a few minutes earlier Christian had texted her warning her he wasn't above been cruel to Kate. Kate smiled at her best friend. She was going to convince Ana to give Ethan a chance. They could all still be one big happy family in the end.

With a simulated sigh, Christian took a seat and opened his phone. He was taking a leaf out of Anastasia's book and recording the conversation about to take place. Kate waited until Ana and Christian's security team were gone to start the conversation. "Christian, I know you are dating Ana now, but... with Ana's permission I have to tell you I have been in love with you for years. I am hoping you will consider me a more suitable girlfriend and more in the future." She leveled a beaming smile at Christian as though he had agreed with her statement.

Christian would admit he expected her to chicken out, but of course, she wouldn't be Katherine fucking Kavanagh if she did.

"I see." He whispered as he stared at a loose thread on the throw next to him.

"Ana and I talked, she knows all about this conversation. She is willing to step aside as she believes I am a more suitable option. I grew up in the same social circle as you. I understand more than she ever will about what it takes to be with someone like you."

"Miss Kavanagh..."

"Please, call me Kate." She interjected with a smile that Christian was sure was meant to be seductive. It would have worked if he were the least bit interested.

"I don't agree with you." His features remained impassive.

"Agree with what?" Kate asked as she shifted in her seat.

"I don't agree with anything you said. I do not believe you are a suitable girlfriend for me in any shape or form. I believe the very opposite."

"Why?" Kate's voice was barely above a whisper. Not once had she considered him rejecting her, but now it was beginning to look very likely. She still held out hope, whatever his reason, she could counter it, that much she was sure off.

"Yes, it's the height of hypocrisy and the epitome of double standards, but I sure as fuck do not want half of Seattle's sloppy seconds. My cousin and all my male friends have been with you at some point. My God, Evan, an accountant at GEH, pointed you out last Friday night to Alexi in HR and what happened, you brought him here for a one night stand. Hell, I saw his car downstairs when I came here yesterday to pick up Anastasia for the barbecue."

"My past is no different to yours," Kate argued. This was precisely what she had feared. She was busy hiding the men from Ana, instead of making sure they were in no way associated with Christian.

"That is true." Christian finally bothered to look at her. "But there is a big difference between you and I. How can I put this politely. You expect me, the CEO of GEH to walk around arm in arm with the woman half my staff have passed around like a fucking football. You want me to be seen with the same woman, my cousin, friends, and staff deem to be a good fuck, but not one you marry. Your reputation Miss Kavanagh is one as the CEO of a fortune 500 company, I cannot afford to have any association with. GEH's entire foundation is that of a family built company with family values. Can you imagine the whispers and sniggering that will follow my every move with you on my arm? I go out of my way to hide the fact that I fuck women like you. I rented a separate apartment to fuck women like you until I met Anastasia. I don't introduce women like you to my mother. She would skin me alive if I presented you as the woman I one day intend to marry.

My history with women may be similar to your history with men, but the difference is, no one knows that about mine. I have been discreet in my private affairs with women. This... Miss Kavanagh is where we differ. You can't make the same assertions. You may have grown up in the same social circle as I did, but you are not a suitable option for me, I hope you can understand that."

"You could pay those guys off." Kate was grasping at straws, and she knew it.

"Why would I do that? You seem to be missing the point. I already have a suitable woman in my life as I told you before Anastasia is a rare class of beauty, intelligence, grace, and humility that I have only ever seen in the women in my family. Anastasia is damn right perfect for my world and me, and yesterday with my family proved it. She fitted in perfectly; she spent hours discussing literature, politics, and baseball, football... you name it, she more than held her own with my family. She got along with everybody; there were no awkward moments because she happened to have seen a member of my family that she fucked. I do not find you remotely attractive. I have no interest in you Miss Kavanagh and never had.

Even if your history didn't factor into this, I still would not be interested. You hiring Caroline Carmichael to pull the stunt she did, put you on my shit list for life. You are not the woman for me, and I am not the man for you." He stood then. "Why Ana thought I would entertain this farce is beyond me." Christian groused.

"Because she agrees with me... I am the better girlfriend for a man in your position." Kate couldn't believe he was arguing with her about this. Hell, even Ana could see she was right for him. Kate was beginning to question the level of his intelligence.

"Again, I disagree." He was sick and tired of repeating himself.

"Oh, please, I will give you Caroline, but everything else is just complete and utter bullshit, and you know it. Even as children, girls learn they'd have to kiss a few frogs before they find Prince Charming. My history with men is typical of women who understand the world. Hell, in this city good luck finding any female who hasn't fucked your cousin. Good luck finding a girl who hasn't been with someone who works for you. These are men working for one the best corporations in the world, who in their right mind would turn them down. Do you think any woman would pay much attention to you if you weren't Christian Grey." She couldn't believe she had to explain that to him.

"Except, I did. I found Ana, a woman who is not in that category."

"That's it... isn't it? You found a virgin; one who had you pegged minutes after meeting you, so you had to play it differently. You knew Ana wasn't going to fall for your usual approach, so you had to do something different. Ethan was right; all this is, is a clever ploy to get laid, to get what you consider a holy grail, a virgin." Christian couldn't deny he had first showed interest because Anastasia was a virgin, but that quickly evaporated when she had told him she was shy but had standards. She questioned whether he was in a position to give her what she wanted. He soon realized he wanted to be in that position, and now he was, and no one was going to change that.

"Have your fun with Ana, but when you have what you want, when the novelty has worn off, you will find yourself looking for a woman of the world. Someone who understands that long business trip away might result in a meaningless dalliance in a hotel room. A woman who understands a man sometimes needs variety, as long as he is discreet, she will turn a blind eye because she understands it's the way things are done." Christian just stared at her incredulously for a few seconds then cracked up laughing.

"Way of the world. How things are done?" He was struggling to believe that shit came out of her mouth. "Let me enlighten you to my world because although it seems we run in similar social circle, our worlds are very different. I have never lied to a woman I do not need to. My dalliances knew exactly what the deal was, and no one expected any more than what was on the table. Elliot, I can say without a shadow of a doubt is the same. We are honest to a fault because we were thought to be honest. Despite our history with women, we are respectful of them, but they knew we weren't going to marry them. I knew what I wanted, so did they. I didn't want any serious entanglement, and I didn't want someone who would want to discuss politics or debate the nuances in the latest Henry Kissinger book. I just wanted to get laid.

I have family who understands the sanctity of marriage; it is clear you haven't. Two sets of grandparents married for over half a century, my uncle and aunt, my parents. These are men who would slit their throats than step out on their woman no matter how long the business trip. If my parents want variety, they book a weekend away and misbehave then come back with smirks that last the week and little giggles and eye fucking when they think no one is watching.

I am honest with women I wouldn't introduce to my housekeeper, and yet you think it's okay to lie to the one I marry. Miss Kavanagh, you are willing to sell yourself short, and that's fine for you, but not for me. If a woman is willing to be lied to, then she will also willingly lie to others. I don't want to be lied to, and neither does Anastasia. I have no right to tell you how to live your life, we live in a time where you can do as you please, but so can I. Which means I can decide for myself who is right for me. I have the right to say it's not you. Anastasia is the woman for me; she unlike you, simply kissed a few frogs; you did far more than that knowing they were frogs. Again you can do that, it's your God-given right as a human being, but I also have the God-given right to say because of that or whatever other fucking reason I can conjure up, I don't want you in any way shape or form." He stood up, ready to leave; he had had enough of this conversation.

"You say all that, but we both know in time the novelty of Ana will wear off..."

"And I still wouldn't look your way. Why is it so hard for you to comprehend my utter lack of interest of you." He was screaming at this point. Kate didn't answer; she just stared as though she hadn't heard the question. "My God, you are delusional, positively insane. This isn't just an irrational obsession with a man you don't know except what you've heard from third party sources. You truly are so far gone you can't even see just how wrong all this is.

Miss Kavanagh, a prostitute, is about as suitable as you are. Actually, that's an insult; at least they get paid for their work, they understand what the deal is and expect no more. You are an insane whore and a cheap one at that. I mean one drink and you'd spread your legs for any man. Get it through your thick skull I don't want you, I never have. My discreet fucks have more class in their toes than you could ever hope to possess. Let me make myself very clear if you cross me or come after Anastasia in some misguided notion that she is not for me. I will not only end you but your family as well." He stormed out of the apartment, but before shutting the door behind him, he had one more thing to say. "Above all else, I love Anastasia." He could see the anger in her eyes. He could also see the futility in their conversation. This wasn't over, and he shuddered at the thought. He slammed the door shut before she could utter another word.

* * *

The elevator doors opened to find Ana waiting for him. "I am so happy you moved out today. This has also opened my eyes to just how delusional that woman is."

"I will go say goodbye."

"Why?" He didn't want Anastasia anywhere near that thing ever again.

"I will explain when I get back. I know Kate well enough to know she will without much provocation give me what I want." Ana hugged him before calling for the elevator. Taylor went with her, as none of them trusted Kate, especially now.

"Do not shut the door all the way and do not go further into the apartment further than you have to," Taylor warned.

"Okay," Ana nodded.

"I'm guessing I don't have to tell you to record the conversation." He chuckled.

"No." She smiled.

She wasn't sure what she expected, but a rather calm Katherine Kavanagh wasn't it. The man of her dreams had just rejected her, but she appeared as though nothing had happened. "Hey." Kate looked up at her.

"I take it you two haven't had a chance to talk." Kate couldn't help but sneer.

"No, he wasn't happy I agreed to this, but not much else." Ana lied. She kept her distance staying by the door as instructed.

"He called me a whore... an insane whore," Kate informed her calmly, too calmly for Ana's liking. "Ana, that man isn't for you, if you know what is good for you, you will dump his ass and move on." She wasn't surprised Kate had gone back on her word.

"No," Ana answered in a rather bored tone. Kate's calm façade started to crumble. "I believe we both agreed to bow out gracefully..."

"Yeah, yeah, that was before I learned what a hypocritical, male chauvinistic pig Christian Grey was. The man still thinks women should be chaste while they get to fuck every woman that crosses their path. I am not good enough for him because I'm not a virgin. That man is only interested in you because you are a virgin, the minute you fuck him he's gone. Do yourself a favor and tell him to go fuck himself."

"No," Ana answered with little emotion. "Did it ever occur to you that I gave you this opportunity because I knew what he would say to you?" Kate stared blankly at her. "Of course, it didn't. You don't know me at all. Why get to know the girl beneath you. Let's be honest, that is how you have always seen me. The poor girl with the divorced parents and the piece of junk she calls a car. You sent me to interview Christian because as far as you were concerned, he would never look twice at me. Why not send Amber or Sophia from the paper because you saw them as competition, while I was just poor Ana. Well, poor Ana has got the man you desperately want, and you can't stand it. I should tell you. This is why I am moving out. I can practically see the enviousness seeping out of your pores. After what you did to Amanda in high school over a boy who liked neither of you, I'd be stupid to fall asleep with you in this building or more or less the same fucking apartment."

In true Katherine Kavanagh fashion, she ignored every word further proving Ana's point. "If you go with him after the abuse I have just taken from him, you and I are done." Kate didn't realize she was saving Ana the job of having to distance herself from their friendship slowly.

"Then I guess we are done. Goodbye, Katherine." Ana opened the apartment door and walked out without a backward glance.

Kate, though wasn't about to let her have the last word and after a few seconds followed her out only to find the elevator doors closing. She took a deep breath and walked back to the apartment before she broke down crying.

* * *

"You weren't cruel enough," Ana said she got into the car. Christian looked over at Taylor who nodded.

"What did she say?"

"She gave me an ultimatum, you or our friendship." Since she was in the car with him, her answer was obvious.

"You expected this." He realized it was the reason she had gone to say goodbye.

"Yep."

"She is rather predictable." He sincerely hoped so because Kavanagh wasn't done.

"I need the recordings," Taylor informed them as they arrived at Escala. He was also going to put covet security on the Kavanagh siblings, he didn't trust either of them.

"Send me a copy when you have it compiled," Christian grunted getting out of the car. The back and forth with Kavanagh had drained him of all energy. The woman was tiresome.

"So, what's the plan because if I know Kate, she is not done?" Ana asked.

"I'm going to see her father tomorrow." He was also going to call Ros to start purchasing all the shares they could get for Kavanagh Media, and it would hopefully light a fire under the Kavanagh clan.

"This apartment wouldn't happen to be the one you used for your hookups, would it?" Christian just stared agog. He tried to answer, but he only managed a bunch of incomprehensible nonsense. She knew it wasn't the same apartment, but she couldn't help herself.

"No," Taylor answered, trying to keep the smile off his face. They exited on the fifteenth floor before Christian could string a sentence together.

"How did you know?" He had admitted he had an apartment, but he never told her where it was.

"Ariel." Ana giggled.

"Of course, I swear those two need to learn to keep their mouth shut." He murmured. You'd think they'd be more loyal considering the shit he had on them.

She took out her keys and opened the door to her new apartment. She walked straight to the floor to ceiling window and smiled at the sight. "Just perfect." She whispered. Christian wholeheartedly agreed.


	15. Chapter 15

"Well, you now own twenty- seven percent of Kavanagh Media," Ros grumbled as she collapsed on his couch. "Would have gotten more, but it seems someone finally informed Kenneth Kavanagh."

"Wow... I didn't expect that much." Christian smiled as she frowned at him.

"You asked me to acquire as much as possible. May I add it cost you three times as much as their shares are currently worth," Christian didn't care, he now knew he had Kenneth Kavanagh's attention, and that was all that mattered.

"Why the sudden interest in media? Kavanagh hasn't exactly been anymore intrusive than everyone else when it comes to GEH or your family."

"It has nothing to do with the paper, more to do with his daughter. I recently learned from Disney that she has had a thing for me for some time. Well, it's not just a thing, the girl is obsessed with me, and I happened to have fallen for her roommate." The tiredness that seemed to have seeped into Ros's bones suddenly dissipated and was replaced by a sudden flood of energy she didn't know existed. She moved from the couch to the chair in front of his desk. Christian Grey had her attention like never before.

"Katherine Kavanagh, the girl who hounded the PR department for nearly two years for an interview, is obsessed with you."

"The one and the same." Christian sighed.

"Okay... now let's get to the part where you are in love with her roommate." Another sigh left Christian.

"We might just as well order lunch while we are at it."

"It's that bad." She uttered in astonishment.

"You have no idea."

Just over an hour later, Ros had heard the tapes, and yet still struggled to comprehend the truth of it all. She was an intelligent woman, but she found it hard to fathom the existence of the likes of Katherine Kavanagh. She has been dressed down and called a delusional whore by the man she wanted, and yet her worship of the man had not waned the tiniest bit. She didn't need to be in the room to know Christian's words had had no effect on Kavanagh.

"I have never spoken to a woman the way I spoke to her. I never in my life thought I would. I am my mother's son, I was brought up to respect women no matter the circumstances. No matter what a woman chooses to do with her body, I have no say in it, and never once believed I had the right to tell her because of that or anything else, I do not find her attractive. if I didn't find a woman attractive, I simply made it clear they were not my type." He didn't even know he had a type until he met Ana. Until then, as long as you were beautiful and wore pretty little dresses, tight jeans, and skirts, he was interested.

"You weren't given much of a choice. For most of that conversation, you were polite and rather courteous. Hell, you held it for longer than I would have. Let's be honest I wouldn't date Katherine Kavanagh either, both because she is rather promiscuous and has done little to hide that fact. I have a past like most, but like you, I was discreet." Ros sat deep in thought. "Kenneth was the one that begged your mom to talk you into giving that interview to his daughter."

"Yes," Christian answered, unsure where she was going with that question.

"You also said the brother told you the family had been aware of Katherine's obsession with you and was worried for Anastasia."

"I see," Christian muttered. "I'm seeing him this afternoon, so I will ask him if he knew and still went to great lengths to get her that interview with me."

* * *

"Dan, please... just... please." Kenneth Kavanagh was at his wit's end. He had no idea what GEH was doing buying shares by the boatload in Kavanagh Media. Seven of his shareholders had sold their shares to Ros Bailey without a word. Dan, at least had the decency to call him to tell him he was selling.

"Sorry, Ken, but she is offering three times what they are currently worth. With the kids about to start college and Cassie's illness... I'm sorry I just can't afford to turn this offer down. Look, this is the best I can do, if you can match her offer then I will sell it to you." It was a fair offer.

"It's a deal. You'll have the money by close of business today." Kenneth breathed a sigh of relief. He was so panicked he hadn't thought to offer to buy the shares.

"Thank you." Dan murmured.

"No problem, at least you gave me the chance to buy back the shares," Kenneth uttered before hanging up. As it stood, he was still the majority shareholder, and he was at least sure that would remain the case now that he had Dan's shares as well.

_What the fuck is going on?_

He couldn't understand Grey's sudden interest in his company. His phone rang for the umpteenth time that morning, and he ignored it aware it was Katherine. He didn't have time for her and her melodrama. It was always somebody else's fault for why she did whatever she did. He just couldn't hear it today, he had bigger things to worry about. He printed out a list of shareholders and started making phone calls.

Four hours later he was done and had assurances that if any of them felt inclined to sell, he would be their first port of call. He felt as though he could finally breathe. "Sir, Christian Grey is here to see you. He doesn't have an appointment."

"Send him in." He was surprised the boy wonder had come to explain himself or at least he hoped. Kenneth was determined to explain away whatever possessed Grey to buy shares in his company in the first place. If he could repurchase the shares from Grey, it would make his day.

His door opened, and in strolled Christian Grey. Kenneth studied him; he didn't look angered in any way. If anything, Grey seemed somewhat amused. "To save me the long winded talk, and us going back and forth about your need to defend your daughter's actions, just listen to this and then we will talk." Christian threw a flash drive at him. Kenneth plugged it into his laptop and sat back to listen.

"I knew my Katherine had a crush on you, but this is... I assure you she is harmless." Kenneth said after listening to everything.

"Yes, I'd like to believe you truly thought that when you convinced my mother to convince me to give her an interview. Because had you known your daughter was this obsessed and you put her in a room with me... you will not like the consequences. Calling your shareholders and convincing them to sell to you at three times the amount is easy. How easy will it be for you to do that at say... thirty times the amount." Kenneth Kavanagh paled. He didn't have that kind of money, but Christian Grey did. His personal wealth alone eclipsed the worth of Kavanagh Media, more or less GEH, and the Grey family.

"I can assure you that Katherine will not be a problem for you or Ana. I love Ana, and she deserves nothing but the best. I'm just sorry Katherine was so blinded by envy she failed to see it. Katherine will not be an issue." Christian stared at the man for a while and will admit he couldn't tell if he was lying or not. Kenneth Kavanagh had a poker face that put his mother's to shame.

"Okay." Christian stood to leave. "You can keep the drive, that is your copy." Kenneth didn't even bother to ask about buying the shares Christian held. He already knew the answer. One wrong move by his daughter and Kavanagh Media will be under new ownership. It was time to call Katherine back.

"Daddy, I have been calling you since yesterday." She wailed.

"Katherine, I left my phone in the office over the weekend, and I just got my hands on it. You are the first call I have returned. Now, what is the problem?"

"I...I..." Kate was all of a sudden not sure why she had called her father.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Christian Grey, would it?" Kenneth asked.

"Why are you asking?" She was deflecting so early in the game.

"Come home, we need to talk..."

"Daddy, I can't..."

"Katherine, I am not asking you." He hung up before she could protest any further.

Fifty minutes later, the Kavanagh clan was gathered in Kenneth's home office. Katherine Kavanagh was daddy's little girl, and everyone knew. Kenneth went out of his way for his little girl, and now he very much regretted giving in, especially in regards to Christian Grey. "All I need is one interview. A few minutes to let him see what I'm capable off and he will be mine." Kenneth poorly mimicked his daughter. Ethan stared at his father in disbelief. He couldn't believe he had played a role in Kate's continued obsession. Agnes just shook her head, she was used to her husband giving in to Katherine even when it was clearly the wrong thing to do.

"I was sick, it couldn't be helped."

"It doesn't matter if you were dying. As long as you weren't dead, you should have held that interview. Now, Grey has fallen in love with Ana. Got to know Ana while she asked questions you devised. She got to use your genius to get the man while you sat at home because you had the sniffles." Kenneth couldn't hide his disappointment. He truly believed Katherine would be on Christian's arm had she conducted that interview. He genuinely thought Grey would have seen past Kate's history with men to the intelligent girl she is.

"I can still get him," Kate argued.

"No, you can't," Kenneth said with a sigh.

"Daddy..."

"As of this morning, Christian Grey is now a twenty-seven percent shareholder in Kavanagh Media. He was in my office this afternoon, if you get in his or Ana's way again, he will buy enough shares to become the majority shareholder. He could sink Kavanagh Media if he felt like it and would lose nothing in the process while we lost everything. I'm sorry Katherine, but you go near Grey or Ana again I will have no choice but to cut you off. I mean it." Kate's jaw dropped at her father's words.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm sorry, but at our age, we can't afford to lose everything, and that is what will happen if you cross Grey.

"Ana is my best friend, he can't keep me away from her," Kate shouted.

"We both know that is not true. Grey recorded your conversation, and so did Ana. You asked her to choose, and she chose Grey." Kate nodded in understanding, but in reality, had no intention of staying away. She just had to bide her time. Things were too hot, but with time cooler heads would prevail and she would have her man. She knew Ethan wanted Ana and would help her to get the girl. Her father would never find out about any of it.

Kenneth Kavanagh had his own reasons for fostering his daughter's interest in Grey. The Trevelyan name in Seattle was a well-known name in the higher echelons of society. Theodore Trevelyan had made a name for himself as one of the best corporate lawyers in America. He was a force to be reckoned with a few years after graduating from law school. His daughter had married a Grey, a wealthy family from Michigan, wealth marrying into more wealth. Then the Grey family moved to Seattle and joined the Trevelyans, and two combined was a tour de force of wealth and power. They used that wealth to help others, and they were loved for it. Then Christian Grey started GEH, and in came more money and power. Kenneth Kavanagh had for years wanted to be a part of that family's inner circle, but his position as the king of Media in Seattle excluded him from that circle. Who would want the king of gossip in their mist? Why would he be allowed so close when he could turn around and write all about what he had learned?

He had long ago accepted he would never indeed be in that circle, but Kate obsession with the Grey's started and at first, he paid no attention to it. But when Kate boldly asked for that interview and was rejected, but kept at it, he saw the door crack open a tiny bit. His daughter was beautiful, intelligent, and tenacious, the kind of woman men like Grey married. Hell, Ella Grey was just such a woman. He had given in and convinced Ella to talk to Christian as he would owe them a favor when he ran into her at the Seattle General's charity drive. Asking for that interview was the biggest mistake of his life. Kenneth knew his daughter well and looking at her, he knew he would eventually be forced to act on his threat.

* * *

"You have to go." A shudder ran through her the minute those words left her mouth. Christian's finger had found the spot that made her incoherent. Left her a disheveled mess. Rendered her speechless most of the time, when she found words, they made no sense. She was sure she had said he had to go, but she was also sure if there were a playback it would be a jumbled, incoherent mess. It was more likely her moaning and whimpering as Christian's finger worked her over.

It had been three months since she moved into an apartment of her own, and so far she had no complaints. That was the understatement of the millennium. No, life was exhilarating, she felt free in ways she couldn't explain. It also opened her eyes and mind to just how stifling Kate's presence alone in her life was. Ana had always felt a great deal of gratitude for the small amount she paid in rent. It gave her a little financial freedom, but then at the same time, she cooked and cleaned after Kate for four years. Quid pro quo, Christian had said when she explained, Ana had paid the rent in full in other ways, she owed Katherine Kavanagh nothing.

She'd thrown a house warming party two weeks after she'd moved in. José and Eve made the trip from Portland and stayed for the weekend. Christian, his siblings, and cousins also made an appearance and quite a few people from SIP. Christian had also spent the night that night for the first time. There had been a lot of kissing, groping and dry humping that night. Things over the last couple of months had slowly escalated, but so far the two had still not taken things all the way. Ana found herself straddling Christian thighs as his finger rubbed her clit over her panties. "What was that?" Ana could hear the teasing lilt in his voice, but she was too close to her release to care.

"You have to go." She finally managed, which in hindsight was not all that great because Christian's fingers froze.

"You are right. I have a conference call in four hours, and I need to get some sleep." With a resigned sigh, he lifted Ana off his lap and stood before she could protest. She knew what he was doing, and she had given him the ammunition to do it. Yep, she was kicking herself as nobody else could. With what she couldn't even describe as a peck on the lips, Christian Grey sauntered out of her apartment. She stood there, staring at the closed door for what felt like an eternity before she cursed up a storm and heading for the shower. She needed a long cold shower before she could get any sleep. This wasn't the first time he had left her handing and but this time she only had herself to blame.

* * *

Ana's knees kept bouncing much to Elizabeth's amusement. "There is this common misconception that only men feel sexual frustration to the extent you seem to be feeling now." Ana's legs immediately stilled, followed by a loud sigh.

"Everything he does and says just makes me want to rip his clothes off swiftly followed by mine. Worse, I was so close last night, but my stupid mouth had to go and intervene. The frustrating part is my body is screaming for him, but my mind... I guess if I were truly ready for sex, I would have done something about it by now."

"Are you sure?" Elizabeth whispered leaning close.

"Unfortunately, yes... and before you say it, I'm not stuck in my head. I'm not concerned Christian will walk away after I give it up. I know it's not all he wants from me. Except there is a mental block..."

"Or, it's like you said you are not ready. And I happen to believe you. With Jack, I was of the mindset that nothing easy is worth having. I wasn't holding back because I wasn't ready. I was holding back because Jack needed to work for it and work for it he did. He knew what I was doing, I did play games, but I hid nothing. Just make sure Christian knows the reason for your hesitation, which by the way, I don't see lasting long. Your apparent frustration is a clear sign of things to come. You might not be ready for everything, but my dear, you both need to start putting lips, hands, and fingers in places. You are wound tighter than a coil ready to spring." Elizabeth teased with a chuckle.

"Yeah, except every time we get there, we somehow stop things progressing. Last night I was so close and then my stupid mouth told him he had to go. So that's what he did." Elizabeth didn't even attempt to curtail her laughter.

"Oh God, you two are adorable." She continued laughing. "He did give you a head's up about the seduction."

"Is that what this is," Ana asked agog.

"No, that's just teasing the hell out of you. The seduction is the part that has you wanting to jump his bones when all he does is look at you."

"Oh," Ana murmured in understanding.

"The teasing only works if you can't see just how frustrated he is as well. There is no way he doesn't feel the effects of it. He feels it, but you are so focused on how you are feeling you don't see his. You need to learn to return the favor."

"What, tease him as well." Ana wondered how she was going to achieve that.

"Not just the teasing, the seduction too."

"Wouldn't know where to start," Ana muttered.

Elizabeth chuckled. "There is not a man on the planet that can out seduce a woman he wants when she wants him too. I will tell you right now, everything you do is seduction even if you didn't intend to. Licking your fingers because you've got pizza sauce on it. Bending over to pick up something you dropped. Collapsing on the couch after a hard day. The moan that leaves you after the first cold crisp taste of Sancerre touches your tongue. Kicking your shoes off, shimmying out of your skirt. Just walking with a touch more sway in your hips would do. Everything you do is seduction, and worse when a woman has the intention of seducing a man, no man stands a chance. Go about your life, but do it with the intention of driving Christian Grey crazy."

"How is Jack sane?" Ana blurted out earning an uproarious laugh from Elizabeth.

"Because he loves every second of it."

"I see." And she did.


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey, Ana, where is my dear cousin?" Elliot's eyes were firmly glued to her plate of chicken and dumpling stew. He was sorely tempted to snatch a piece of her chicken, but one look from her had him quickly changing his mind.

"You are likely to find him in the gym." Elliot nodded then headed up the stairs. "The basement gym." She corrected with a smile that he couldn't decipher.

"Right." He murmured. Christian only used the communal gym when he was training with Bastille.

He soon found his cousin alone on the half court on the other side of the gym playing. It was clear his cousin had been there for some time as sweat was dripping down his face. He had long abandoned his t-shirt, which was soaked in sweat. After a while, Elliot realized his cousin had still not noticed him. "Chris." Christian finally stopped having heard Elliot at least.

"Hey." His breathing wasn't as labored as Elliot expected, considering the state of the man.

"Dude, what the hell..."

"I am sexually frustrated." He answered without preamble.

"Oh." His blatant honesty had caught Elliot off guard.

"Yeah, E... she is killing me." He collapsed on the court in exhaustion. "Worse, she knows exactly what she's doing. I mean I went to her apartment like always a couple of weeks ago. She opened the door in a towel... a fucking towel that just about covered her. I hadn't seen that much of her since we started dating. Don't get me wrong we have a little fun, but it's all above the clothes fun. Apparently, she was just about to jump in the shower. I thought nothing of it initially, I thought I was just sexually frustrated, so I imagined the teasing and the seduction. Dad... DAD, of all people, pointed it out to me."

"How did he..."

"We all went out to dinner, and I noticed mom... you ever noticed how women do all these oohing, ahhing and all sorts of moaning sounds when they are eating. E, I never really paid attention to that shit until Ana. Gail cooked some steaks and fuck me, you would have thought it was the best shit she'd ever tasted. I felt that shit in my dick. All those noises just drove my ass crazy. Then the way those lips wrapped around her wine glass... so my mom was doing the same shit, and guess what it didn't mean shit to me, but dad..."

"It was driving his ass crazy." Elliot surmised.

"You got it." He threw the basketball against the wall. "So later I ask him, and he tells me, it's all teasing." Elliot nods as words failed him at that point. He was well aware of what Christian was talking about. When a woman set her mind to teasing and seducing, no man stood a chance. "I know Ana, and I know she isn't aware of these things. I was the one doing the teasing; I was the one doing the seducing. All of a sudden, she's turned the table on me, and I am feeling it." Christian was up and pacing at this point. "Elizabeth fucking Hyde..."

"Who?" Elliot asked.

"Jack, her boss's wife. Those two have been nothing but full of great advice for us, but Elizabeth took it too far." He groused.

"You should tell her to curtail the advice on certain topics?"

"Don't be stupid." Christian stared at Elliot as though he had taken leave of his senses. "That woman works with my future wife every day, I need her onside not against me."

"Maybe it wasn't her."

"It was, Anastasia told me as much. The only people she'd take relationship advice from are married people and successfully married people. Mom and aunty Grace aren't giving her torture advice."

"Just tell Ana to stop because your dick can't take it anymore." Elliot thought it was a pretty straightforward solution to his cousin's problems.

"Why would I want that?" Again with the look as though Elliot was the one going insane.

"Because it's driving you crazy... I don't know..." Elliot was lost, entirely so. "You are down here working yourself into exhaustion because your girlfriend is in your penthouse eating some delicious chicken and you can't even be around her when she's eating or drinking for that matter."

"Truth be told, it's everything," Christian admitted. "I am so far gone... I will hand over GEH if she simply asked, fuck putting up a fight. E, I can't wait till the day you meet the one... it is the most exhilarating and at the same time, the most painful feeling you will ever experience."

"I don't know what to say, hell I don't know what to think." Elliot had given up.

"You will finally know what to say when it's your turn. Anyway, did we have plans or something?"

"No, I was driving past and came to ask if you wanted to spend a little time together this weekend. Not all weekend as I know you and the little lady will be busy driving each other crazy."

"Sorry, no can do. Taking Anastasia away this weekend, she finishes work tomorrow afternoon, so we can do a long weekend. We've done nothing but spend time in either her apartment or mine and the occasional visits to the parentals."

"Trying to keep her out the media for as long as possible I see."

"Yeah, the minute they learn about her..." He groaned.

"She will be okay if the way she played Kate is anything to go by. I'm sure I will find something to occupy me this weekend. Have fun in crazy town." With that, he was gone. Christian grabbed his t-shirt and made his way to the elevator. He was beyond tired and was grateful to be done with work that week.

"Sir." Christian sighed knowing he was about to be met with bad news.

"What is it?"

"Miss Kavanagh is currently stalking the deli your mother frequents." Taylor's smirk said it all.

"Is she now." He found himself smiling. "Let her... just try to get footage when she comes across my mother." He chuckled and headed for the bathroom.

Christian had only ever once been on the receiving end of his mother's ire, and that had been enough. His dad had grounded him for sneaking out to attend a party when he had been told he couldn't go due to an incident the week earlier at school. He had been caught in the girl's locker room with Amber Stevenson. His response to being grounded to was to tell William he wasn't his father. He had immediately regretted his words, the look on his father's face damn near broke him. That thought wasn't enough for his mother who laid into him. She had him by the scruff of the neck and threatened to castrate him. He towered over her, but that day, he felt small and only got smaller as the threats kept coming.

William was quick to forgive, Ella not so much, It took days before she said more than a word and even then it was only when he asked for something. At sixteen his mother not talking to him had felt as if his world had been turned on its axis.

If Katherine Kavanagh thought she could use his mother to get to him, she would learn the hard way.

He was surprised it had taken her this long to start up again. It's been over three months since their last encounter. Then again, he'd only warned her to stay away from him and Ana... "Take it you heard about Kate." Anastasia's voice pulled him out of his reverie.

"You know."

"Yeah, I heard Taylor cackling quite loudly. Gail told me why."

"Right... yeah, well she is in for the dressing down of her life if she goes near my mother with her delusions." His mother understood and knew how to deal with the likes of Katherine Kavanagh more than anyone could imagine.

"How was your workout?" She made zero effort to hide her leering.

"It was good." Not that it was helping him now. "I'm going to jump into a very hot bath..."

"Isn't it supposed to be a cold one?" She remembered reading that somewhere.

"I'm used to it, it's only an acute pain in my calf muscles, nothing to write home about. Some Epsom salt and a hot bath will have that right as rain by tomorrow."

"Okay, I could come and wash your back for you." A wry smile graced his features; for once he was going to call her bluff.

"Why not." He said with a level of nonchalance he did feel because he expected her to balk at the idea.

Anastasia though surprised the hell out of him when she stood and walked toward him. "I'll run the bath for you." She led the way, her hips swaying as they made their way to his bedroom.

Ana headed straight for the bathroom and got the tub filling up as he stood there wondering if maybe this wasn't the time to call her bluff.

"Are you planning on getting in with your shorts on? I could get naked as well if it will make you feel better." He found himself considering it. Ana could clearly see that and couldn't help but laugh in response. She poured in some of the detox soap grandma Carol insisted he use. He had no idea what it did for him, but he bought the stuff all the same. "So what are we doing?" Her voice definitely held that teasing lilt he had gotten used to in the last couple of weeks. "Oh, how about I just close my eyes while you get naked." She was enjoying his discomfort far too much.

In truth, he didn't understand why he felt that way. He had from a very young age gotten very comfortable with nakedness, especially around women. Hell, he used his body more than anything to get the fairer sex gagging for him. He also did everything in his power to get them naked as soon as humanly possible. There Anastasia was offering to get naked, and he had hesitated.

Maybe it was because Anastasia wasn't just a conquest, another notch on his bedpost. For once he loved a woman outside of his family, then again she was the one that offered, but he hesitated, and that meant something.

At the same time, he had no qualms about her seeing him naked. His double standard and hypocrisy went both ways. He'd prefer she saw him naked while peeling him out of his clothes slowly.

_Why shouldn't I be romanced?_

He promptly rolled his eyes at the thought. He tossed his gym shorts into the laundry basket and got into the bathtub. "Fuck... did you even aad any cold water." Ana opened her eyes.

"I didn't touch the temperature gauge." She retorted.

"But Gail does when she cleans the bathroom." He looked at the gauge and indeed it had moved. It was higher by two degrees.

"Oops." She quipped. "Your muscles will thank you for it."

"My skin is certainly not going to." He murmured but slumped further into the water relaxing. He looked so childlike Ana couldn't help her giggle. She found herself sat on the edge of the bathtub. Christian opened his eyes and smiled at her. She giggled and laughed a lot when they were together, and he had to admit he took great joy in bringing her such happiness.

"Do I make you happy?" He could see it, but he felt the need to ask.

"This morning, Jack said if I kept smiling as much as I was, he wouldn't have to help Elizabeth cover up your murder. He believed that was likely to fail so they'd have to run to France."

"Because they had no extradition treaty with the US." Christian finished with a chuckle.

"Yep." She ran her fingers absentmindedly through the water. "To answer your question, you make me happy. Everything in my life right now is damn right perfect. From my professional life to the personal, and that includes you."

"Glad to hear it because you make me happy too." He ran his wet fingers through her hair, then leaned forward kissing her, it was a slow kiss, each savoring the other's taste, soft lips which molded perfectly to each other. He kissed down her neck to the back of her ear. A spot that drove Ana crazy, her fingers found his thigh under the water and gripped firmly. He held Ana tightly to him as the kiss continued, neither aware she was slowly slipping into the bathtub. She adjusted her grip on his thigh, causing her fingers to brush against his cock, that quickly brought him back to his senses.

Christian slowed down the kiss and pulled away, her pupils were dilated to the point where there was little of the radiant blue left. His, he was sure was no different. "I think we should..."

"I don't want to stop." Intelligence wasn't required to know what that meant.

"Ana." As far as she could recall, it was the first time he hadn't called her Anastasia. "Close your eyes." He needed to get out of the tub and quickly. She stood and did just that.

Seconds later, Christian was wrapped in a large towel. "Okay." His voice was barely above a whisper. Who would have thought a woman telling him she was ready for sex would have him this panicked. She opened her eyes and stared at him. "Let's... umm... talk."

They both sat on the edge of his bed. "You are serious?"

"I wouldn't tease you about something like this," Ana whispered. It was clear they were both nervous.

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "You..." then it hit him. "I want to make this memorable for all the right reasons... so will you let me surprise you, arrange something... you know make it romantic. A memorable evening..."

"For all the right reasons." She finished.

"Exactly." She also deserved to know that he was in love with her. In this day and age it wasn't how things worked, but like Kavanagh said when it came to Anastasia, he was playing an entirely different game. Katherine Kavanagh had just been wrong about his reason. He was in love.

_**NOVEMBER 1985**_

_William's eyes snapped open, for a split second he feared it had been a dream, but the small moan and hot body pressed against him told him otherwise. He looked down at Ella's small frame pressed against his, and he smiled. The events from the night before had been unexpected. They had gone to his parents for lunch and had a great afternoon full of great conversation and laughter. As always Christian had been the center of attention, now that he knew a few words and could follow simple instructions, he was a joy to be around. He swore the kid knew it and milked all the attention for what it was worth. The little thing liked nothing more than to be chased around his parent's house. It was as though he was making the most of the space he got while he was there._

_They had left Christian with Grace and Carrick for the rest of the weekend, the most he expected was a little making out on the couch, but Ella had dragged him to the bedroom instead ready to take their relationship to the next level. He chuckled out loud when thoughts of the night before assaulted his mind._

_"What's so funny... at quarter past five on a Sunday morning," Ella asked with a wide yawn._

_"Keep your mouth that wide open, and I will be glad to stick something back in there." He teased._

_"If memory serves me right, you were calling for God when I had your dick in my mouth."_

_"And I'd like to call him again, maybe this time he will answer." He retorted._

_"There are nights I wake up, and it takes me a few seconds to realize the bed feels comfortable. I am not freezing cold even though I am in more layers than it is suitable to walk around in more or less sleep in. I switch on the lights and take in my surroundings to remind myself of where I am. I had so many fears before Christian arrived and I worried just how they'd multiply when he arrived. I was barely surviving, and here I was about to bring a child into the world. I still wonder what would have happened had I not gone to the clinic that morning."_

_"You did, and that is all that matters. The consequences of you not going do not exist because you did. Now, here you are with a healthy boy, studying mathematics, financial reporting, taxes and every other number related class you can cram in, and all the while raising Christian. You are doing great, more than great."_

_"I have help... especially you. I have a wonderful man who has made all that possible."_

_"Yeah well, I didn't want to toot my own horn." He teased._

_"Go ahead and toot. I can't begin to tell you how much you mean to me. I will repeat it you are God's gift to me. You have been nothing but patient with me, have been a dad to a boy whose own biological father asked me to abort. I have Grace and your family, but I don't' think I would be as confident in my studies, in my abilities as a mother if it weren't for you pushing me to such heights. I have loved you as a friend. I love you as my boyfriend, as the man who will one day be my husband because not even hell freezing over will force me to let you go. You are stuck with me."_

_"And what a wonderful woman to be stuck to. I love you too." She leaned up and kissed him. "And I will one day love you as my wife." The two looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh. Though neither would say it out loud, they somehow felt relieved at having taken this step. Having declared their love for each other and for the foreseeable future._

* * *

_On Sunday due to Grace and Carrick having guests they had to go and pick up Christian. The walked into the house with broad smiles, even the presence Barbara Prestwick could not dim the smile on Ella's face. She had first met her a few months after meeting Grace, and the girl had made her feel incredibly small. Grandma Carol had pulled her aside a few weeks later when she realized how much the girl's behavior had affected Ella. Even though Ella had heard Carol Grey's words, she couldn't shake the feeling of inferiority no matter how much she tired._

_At that moment though Barbara Prestwick looked inferior to her, especially now that she suspected Barbara wanted what she had, William. Barbara's behavior had stemmed from jealousy. It was evident to all present that William only had eyes for Ella even when Ella hadn't had eyes for him, and that infuriated Barbara even more._

_It was also evident to them that the two beaming couple in front of them had taken a giant step in their relationship. They looked relaxed in each other's company. There was an acceptance of things, whatever they were._

_"Ahh, it's the teenage mother." Barbara sneered loud enough for Ella to hear._

_"Speaking of teenage mothers, where is Christian." Ella didn't spare Barbara a glance much Carol Grey's delight._

_"In the kitchen with Elliot. You two are early." Carrick said with a wide smile of his own._

_"Yeah, we thought it would nice to have dinner here." In truth, the two had barely ventured out of the bedroom. The usual weekend chores had been neglected, which included grocery shopping. Something they had only managed to do, and even then they only had Christian in mind when they shopped. In short, they had no food at home, and grandma Carol couldn't help but send Ella off with a mountain of food whenever she visited._

_"The more, the merrier." Grace intoned cheerfully._

_"Well, hello young lady I haven't seen you in some time. College life kicking your butt." George Grey asked with a chuckle._

_"Not kicking my butt, but keeping me busy. Between studies, Christian and work, I'm afraid I have little time to socialize." Ella said._

_"Really, because Willy boy's smile tells a different story," George teased._

_"DAD." William bellowed._

_"What! Just calling it like I see it."_

_"Well, don't." The blush on Ella's cheeks could be seen from space._

_"I hear you are at Michigan." Edwin Prestwick could not have known what his simple question would turn his daughter into._

_"You got into Michigan?" Barbara bellowed._

_"Yeah, considering she graduated top of her class. I think it's fair to say getting into Michigan wasn't an issue." Carol Grey chirped._

_"I don't believe this, first William now Michigan. I mean, why don't you take my parents as well." Barbara whispered, but not low enough. The girl didn't possess an inner voice._

_Finally, Ella had confirmation from the horse's mouth. "So that's what all your snide comments have been about. You want William, and he doesn't want you, and I'm guessing you didn't get into the college you wanted either." No, Barbara had wanted to follow William to Michigan and study medicine hoping he would finally see her, but it hadn't worked out. Not even Edwin Prestwick's money had helped._

_"Everyone keeps talking about how clever you are, yet you were stupid enough to get knocked up at seventeen. How clever could you possibly be? I mean you weren't even enough smart to abort the bastard." She scoffed earning gasps from her parents and looks of shock from everyone else._

_"Clever enough to get into Michigan." Ella retorted, but she wasn't done. "If you ever, in any way shape or form mention my son again, I will rearrange that pretty face of yours. I will make sure it matches the ugliness of your true self." Ella warned. Barbara was far too gone to hear the threat. She just stared at Ella, her sneer still firmly fixed on her face._

_"I clearly dodged a bullet with that one." William murmured. Somehow that did more to get through the green-eyed monster that had taken hold of Barbara Prestwick. Her sneer disappeared replaced by a hurt façade no one thought her capable off._

_"I'm really sorry about this. I believe it's time we left." Edwin Prestwick gripped his daughter's arm and hauled her up._

_"I don't think I have ever been this embarrassed. We really are sorry." Sharon Prestwick added as she followed her husband and daughter out._

_The gloom Barbara Prestwick had left behind was pierced by one high-pitched voice of a toddler seeing his mother. "MAMA." Christian practically ran into his mother's arms._

_"Hey, darling." She lifted him onto her lap. "There is my baby boy." A light tickle earned her his favorite words. "No, mama... no." She lived for his giggles. _

_"Hey, buddy." William took hold of Christian's chubby little fingers._

_"Dada." That one word now shattered the gloom that had been pierced before._


	17. Chapter 17

Christian had just called for the elevator when his phone rang. He looked at the heavens and sighed. "Please, please... do not let it be who I think it is." Taylor tried but failed to keep a straight face. Christian with a great deal of trepidation, looked at his phone with one eye closed. Taylor lost it then, shoulders shaking as he tried not to laugh out loud.

Unfortunately for Christian, it was the one person he wanted to hear from the least. It was Ros Bailey, Ros knew why he had taken a long weekend, and he had made it clear he wasn't to be disturbed under any condition and yet Ros was calling.

_GEH must be in flames._

"If I answer this..."

"You are not going anywhere with Miss Steele this weekend." Taylor finished sounding somewhat breathless. Christian gave him a weird look; Taylor cleared his throat avoiding eye contact. He couldn't exactly admit he was trying not to laugh at his boss and it had left him feeling winded.

Christian pocketed his phone and entered the elevator. If GEH burnt down so be it.

By the time they made it to Ana's floor, Taylor's phone was ringing. They both knew it was Ros, Taylor answered before Christian could stop him. "Ros."

"Hey, Jason, where is the boss." Christian was glaring daggers at him.

"I'm afraid he is already onboard Charlie tango with Miss Steele." Christian nodded in agreement.

"Shame, I really was hoping to scare him a little." Christian had heard that and was about to snatch the phone, but Taylor moved away not that it stopped him.

"ROS, GOD HELP YOU COME MONDAY." He bellowed. Ros just laughed before hanging up.

"I believe the entire building heard that." Neither had noticed Ana standing in the doorway.

"It is entirely Ros's fault. I made it clear I was unavailable this weekend and did not want to be disturbed unless it was an emergency of the extreme kind." Ana nodded, having figured out where it was going.

"She called you." She giggled and quickly tried to suppress it at the look on Christian's face.

"Yes, and when I didn't answer, she called Taylor." He had gone to great lengths to organize their weekend away together. Before she admitted she was ready to take things to the next level, he had a simple getaway planned, and that wasn't going to cut it. "Ready to go?"

"Yep." She answered shutting the door behind her. Taylor had her suitcase in hand before she could protest. "So where are we going?" She sounded nonchalant enough, but Christian knew better.

"It's a surprise." She wanted to argue. "Let me surprise you." He added earnestly.

"Okay." She whispered.

"It's only about half an hour away, but I hope you will love it."

"I'm sure I will." She beamed at him as they exited the elevator.

* * *

"Welcome to Salish Lodge, Snoqualmie Falls," Christian said after a forty-minute drive.

"Okay, this is a surprise I love." Christian chuckled, she was bouncing in the car seat eager to get out. So far, she had only seen the front view of the lodge and nothing else. He wondered how she would react when she saw the defining feature of the place.

"Mr. Grey, Miss Steele, welcome to Salish Lodge. Matthew will take your luggage to your suite. You are already checked in so please follow him. My name is Georgia, enjoy your stay."

"Thank you, we will." Ana nodded her thanks. They followed the bellboy along the long corridor to their suite.

"Hope you enjoy your stay." The bellboy handed them their keycards and left them to it. Not before thanking Christian for the generous tip.

"I've read about this place a fair few times, never thought I would see it." Ana practically skipped over to the window and gasped at the sight. "It's a freaking waterfall." She turned to Christian who was stood back watching her.

"I thought you might like it. It's too cold this time of the year to really take it all in, but we will come back one summer and do the tourist stuff." He was now stood next to her as they both took in the views. "Or would you like to go out... there are a few trails we could hike."

"No, doing that in the summer sounds better." She knew she wouldn't enjoy it with the weather the way it was.

"How about a spa treatment and then dinner later this evening?"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful." She got on her toes and kissed him. In truth, a strange awkwardness had descended that neither could explain. They both knew what their weekend would entail, the reason they were there. For Ana, there was the added pressure of the unknown, nerves, and living up to expectation. For Christian, it was much the same, and a desire to love her and not simply treat her as he had all the other women.

She pulled away breathless, but with a radiant smile that gave him a little confidence. "Despite my past, I haven't done this before." Ana raised an eyebrow earning a chuckle from him. "I have been with my fair share of women, but there was never any care." He sighed. "Honestly, it was about me... it was about what I wanted."

"We've already had this conversation," Ana said confused as to why he was rehashing the past. Did he fear she would change her mind now that they were there? "I'm not going to change my mind. I know I'm different. Hell, look at where we are."

"I'm not worried about that." He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated at himself. He couldn't find the appropriate words to express himself. "I've fucked Anastasia, that's all I've ever done. I'm nervous... I love you, and I really don't want to mess this up."

_Nope, I've already screwed this up._

"Okay, I was to clarify my thoughts without the I love you bit. That was supposed to come at a more romantic part of the evening, not while I'm stood here rambling nervously." He could feel the light sheen of sweat forming on his forehead. "Please, say something." He pleaded as she stood there, staring at him in shock.

"Erm..." She cleared her throat. "I love you too." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I was also planning to say that at a more... less rambling part of the evening." She finally giggled. "We are hopeless." Her giggling turned into laughter.

"Yes, we are, me more so than you." He admitted with a chuckle of his own. "I do love you. To be honest with you, I have been since you turned me down and called me out on my bullshit in my office. You never left my thoughts, I didn't know what it was then, but it soon became clear that I was falling for you."

Ana took a tentative step backward. "I'm going to leave for my spa treatment before I decide the hell with romance and jump you." He threw his head back in laughter as she escaped the room. Christian collapsed on the sofa with a smile on his face. He was sure he hadn't completely messed it up in the end. He now had hours with nothing to do, so he decided to unpack his case. Christian was used to hotel rooms, but not living out of a suitcase. Even if he was staying for just one night, he still felt the need to unpack. It was while unpacking that he realized he had left the box of condoms on the bed at home. "Oh, you stupid idiot." He moaned as he grabbed his car keys and bolted out of the room. He raced downstairs, nearly knocking the bellboy who had carried their cases over.

"So sorry sir."

"No need, it was entirely my fault. Where is the nearest pharmacy?"

"There is one at 8112 Railroad Avenue, it's about fifteen minutes from here. I will be more than happy to purchase anything you need if we don't have it."

"No, it's fine, I will do it myself." He needed the drive even if it was a short one.

"Very well, sir." The bellboy nodded and walked away.

Christian knew he would be back before Ana was done at the spa. It took less than ten minutes to get to the pharmacy. He picked up a pack without fuss and headed back to the lodge. By the time he got back to the hotel, he felt relaxed and at ease. He had gotten himself so worked up over a past that no longer factored in his life. Ana didn't care about his history so he should stop caring as well, but in truth, it was easier said than done. He had never put much thought into pleasing a woman since he was in his teens. Ana's pleasure meant so much to him; Christian wanted her first time to be mind-blowing. It was with that in mind that he was finally able to relax because nerves and needless worrying would be the thing that ruined their night if he wasn't careful.

Christian was dressed and flipping through the channels when Ana made it back to the room. He looked up and stared, she was positively glowing. She looked radiant and relaxed. "Everyone has to experience this once in their life." She practically moaned as she sat next to him.

"I take it you loved the spa experience." He teased.

"I didn't think it was possible to feel boneless, but that was how I felt after my massage. I don't even know what else they did to me, but they did a lot." He could not only see it, but he felt it as well. Tranquility oozed off her in waves.

"Would you rather we ordered in?"

"No, I'd love to go to the restaurant. You don't come all this way to stay in your room. Give me a few minutes." He'd come to know that about her. When she said a few minutes, she meant a few minutes. He was used to the likes of Disney and Mia taking hours to get ready. Ana was a breath of fresh air in every way.

"Okay, I am ready to go." She mumbled. "I could eat a horse right now." She had on a long sleeve white wrap dress that ended mid-thigh. It somehow managed to be innocent and yet sinful at the same time.

"That dress is just perfect. You make such a simple dress look divine. You look beautiful, Ana." He knew he was rambling, but he didn't care.

"Oh, I don't know... I think I look rather virginal. Well, at least until the dress comes off, then who knows." She teased.

"I'm looking forward to it." He whispered.

"As am I." If their little make-out sessions were anything to go by, it would be a fantastic night.

They opted to dine at The Attic; it had perfect views of the fall. Ana ordered the stone fired spicy Italian pizza; Christian ordered the wild mushroom truffle mac 'n' cheese. They both ordered the Cobb salad to start and the white chocolate cheesecake to finish. "It's so beautiful," Ana whispered, staring out the window.

"It is a rather beautiful sight." He concurred.

"Thank you for bringing me here. It was so much more than I ever expected." When Christian had said they were going away for the weekend, she hadn't known what to expect, but this was so much more. She enjoyed the days they got to go out. Christian was the definition of ostentatious, so she didn't know why this surprised her.

"I realized when we do go out, it was usually to do the things I like doing."

"I love the things you love doing. Most people would be doing the same if they could afford it. You do have expensive hobbies, Mr. Grey."

"Work hard, play hard." Christian countered.

"Indeed." She chuckled as their main was placed in front of them.

Within minutes he was angling for a slice of her pizza. "How is the pizza?"

She raised an eyebrow at him. " I'm guessing it's as good as your mac 'n' cheese." She quipped.

"I'm willing to share."

"And if I'm not?" She returned.

"Oh, come on, Ana. Sharing is caring, and we care about each other. Love each other even." Her attempt to keep her features impassive failed miserably.

"Wow, sometimes you just can't help yourself. Just for that valiant effort, you can have a slice of my pizza." The sentence had barely left her when he grabbed a slice.

"Before you change your mind." He admitted, earning more giggles from her.

"You do this every time," She accused.

"No, I don't." Her eyebrows shot up. "Okay, I do, but not every time. We usually eat the same thing." She sat back and shook her head.

"Okay, I do when we have different meals. So technically, it is every time." He admitted.

In the end, he got two more slices of her pizza, as she couldn't finish it. She was making room for her dessert, which she finished much to Christian's disappointment.

The two were silent as they headed back to their suite arm in arm. "If at any point you change..." Ana's finger found his lips.

"I want this, I want you. It's not about changing my mind. If there is something I don't like, you will know." He nodded opening the door. His mind went to that fateful day in this office. He had wanted her simply because she was a virgin, he had thought his charm, and his usual offer would do, only to be pleasantly surprised. If he was honest with himself, her virginity now felt like a weight on his shoulders. He knew he was going to marry her within a year; he was going to be her first and her last. She'd know no other, and yet mediocre just wouldn't do. She most likely wouldn't know if the sex was shit, but he would, and that was enough.

Ana was stood at the edge of the bed, at a complete loss as what to do. She honestly had no idea; usually their make out was spontaneous, and that worked well for her. Her thoughts ended suddenly when she felt Christian behind her. His lips were barely touching her skin as he trailed it up and down her neck. She was now nervous, and he could tell. "I love you, and I hope to you show you that tonight." She turned around facing him. Her fingers slowly came up and started unbuttoning his shirt. He had for most of the night fought the temptation to pull the tie on her dress, the fight was now over as he slowly pulled on the knot holding her dress together. The dress fell apart just as he had imagined. What his imagination hadn't remotely matched was what it revealed. "There is a God." He murmured at the sight of her blue and black lacy bra and panties against flawless pale skin.

Ana, on her end, had seen Christian shirtless many times before, but the sight never got old. For once she could touch as she pleased, there was no holding back. She ran her fingers over his abdominal muscles, tracing the lines that made up his six-pack.

He pushed the dress off her shoulders, leaving her in nothing but her underwear. Christian's patience had run out as his lips smashed against hers, the softness of it always caught him by surprise. The perfect fit only went to affirm the belief that they meant for each other. The sweetness of her skin the likes of which he had never tasted. But today, her lips felt softer, the sweetness so much more, and the way their lips moved against each other was beyond words. He lifted her up, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist.

He moved them onto the bed, his lips now traveling down her neck and further down. His hands roamed over naked skin as he deftly got rid of her bra. He'd never kissed her skin this far down, and his hands had never touched this much of her skin. He was rewarded with a loud moan when his mouth found her nipple. His mouth and tongue lavished attention on one breast, while his fingers and thumb on the other. Ana could do nothing but moan and whimper as Christian hands and mouth gave her so much pleasure. She never knew her breast was so sensitive to touch.

Christian sat up and hooked his fingers into her panties, slowly pulling it down her legs. He got off the bed and got rid of his trousers and boxers. Ana had felt him, and knew he was big, but seeing it was an entirely different thing. Christian didn't give her time to think about it as he ran his finger over her wet sex. She practically came off the bed at the feeling that simple move elicited. "Oh, God." She cried. He stared at her wet pussy with a hunger he'd never felt. He again ran his finger over her pussy, but this time, he didn't stop. His thumb found a permanent place on her clit, while he worked a finger into her. She was soaking wet, and in the past, it would have been enough for him, but this was different. "Christian." She moaned, getting close to her release. He could feel it in the way her walls contracted and released around his finger. He added another finger, stretching her open as much as he could. Then she came, her walls clamping tight around his fingers, refusing to release them. Her back arched, and her mouth opened as her body convulsed in pleasure. She was soaking wet, he gave in to his temptation to taste her, and did just that.

Ana coming down from her orgasm hadn't been prepared to feel the wet heat that enveloped her clit. Christian let out a growl at the sweet taste of her. His tongue lapped up her juices, it found every crevice, extracted every ounce of fluid in the process forcing Ana to release more as she came a second time. "Fuck." She screamed as Christian viciously started sucking on her clit as she came drawing out her orgasm. He spent the next several minutes devouring her pussy; he sucked, licked and sometimes even run his teeth over her clit.

She was still coming down from her orgasm when he grabbed a condom and rolled it on. "Are you ready?" He ran his hands up and down her still shaking thighs.

"Yes." She moaned breathlessly. He ran his cock up and down her pussy, eliciting a moan and a shiver from her. Christian's body covered hers as he settled on top of Ana kissing her; there was something more primal about this kiss. The gentleness and softness she was used to were gone, but she welcomed the new sensation. She loved the change in pace, the different feel, the heat it seemed to produce.

Christian distracted her as much as he could with the kiss as he pushed himself inside her. It wasn't enough, she let out a sharp breath as he slowly pushed in, he soon paused, giving her a chance to acclimatize to his size. He looked at her making sure she was okay. He'd wait as long as it took. "Please move." She whispered voice hoarse with need. He pushed all the way in and rolled his hips, earning a gasp from her.

He pushed a pillow under her, angling her body in a way that allowed his every stroke to hit her g spot. Ana held on to him for dear life, her body had no idea how to react to what was happening. Every push in and out, every roll of his hips driving her to her peak, and she knew it was going to eclipse her previous orgasms. "Ana." He groaned as she was tightening around his cock. "So warm, so tight." As her walls held his cock hostage, her legs clamped around him as she came, body convulsing with the intensity of her release. He wasn't far behind as he followed after a couple of strokes. He gripped the sheets, let out a low growl as he emptied himself into the condom. "Ana." He whispered as his eyes found hers.

"Christian." She ran her fingers through his hair. "That was wonderful."

That was all he needed to hear. "It was." He agreed wholeheartedly.


	18. Chapter 18

He'd give his right arm to be in bed, instead of heading to GEH. Christian was tired, and he had no one to blame but himself, and well, Anastasia. Common sense dictated that after getting in on Sunday evening, the two should have gone their separate ways considering they both had to get to work the following morning. Alas, that didn't happen, and they ended up spending the night at his. Sleep was the last thing they did, and now he was paying for it. By the looks of his girlfriend this morning, she felt as he did.

With a groan, he stumbled out of the car. "I should have stayed in bed." He moaned much to Taylor's amusement. His boss was one hell of a comedic show these days.

Christian's phone vibrated in his pocket for the umpteenth time that morning. It was no secret he had taken Anastasia away for the weekend, and his family didn't need to be rocket scientists to work out why. Of course, he had made it easy for them to guess due to his conversation with Elliot and calling his dad to ask for a romantic spot. His dad would not have said a word; Elliot, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He didn't bother taking out his phone, as he knew it was Elliot, Mia or aunty Grace. His aunty and cousins just didn't have the patience to wait for him to divulge whatever information he felt necessary, that was if he chose to do so at all. His parents didn't pry, it just wasn't them, the minute he started college, his parents saw him as an adult and treated him as such.

Half an hour into his day, Ros showed up looking smug as fuck. "Hello, lover boy." She purred. "I had a wonderful weekend, how was yours." She laughed.

"I believe Steve Harvey is looking for an opening act; why don't you go and perform your routine for him. Me, I'm busy working."

"Still mad." She teased.

"I believe the saying is 'don't get mad, get even.' Watch your back Ros Bailey... watch your back." He finally looked up at her with an impassive stare.

"Gwen will avenge me." She said as she sauntered out of his office. He chuckled, knowing Gwen was more likely to help him pull a prank on Ros.

Minutes later, his phone rang, and with a sigh, he answered this time. If he didn't Elliot would turn up at the penthouse tonight disrupting his plans. "Finally, did your weekend knock you out?" Elliot chortled.

"No, some of us have a mountain of work to complete in front of us." He retorted with an eye roll.

"So... how was your weekend." He could just see Elliot wiggling his eyebrows.

"It was fine." He replied in a rather bored tone.

"Just... fine?" Elliot questioned.

"Yeah, just fine. It was a weekend like any other." Christian managed to keep his voice impassive, but thoroughly enjoying the confusion he knew Elliot felt.

"Dude, I thought you were going away with Ana."

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"YOU." Elliot bellowed.

"I think you might have me confused with someone else."

"Christian, I spoke to you on Thursday, you were covered in sweat, trying to work the sexual frustration out of your system."

"As I said, you must have me confused with someone else." Christian sat back in his chair with a small smile on his face. He'd seen his mom do this to aunty Grace several times and yet he never tried it. Now, he could see the appeal.

"Christian... Oh, I see how this is. I share all my juicy details, but you won't share yours. You are no longer..."

"I never asked you to share, if anything I would appreciate it if you kept your sordid stories to yourself."

"Okay, if that's how you want to play it. The day you come begging to know the details of my supermodel girlfriend, I will remind you of this moment."

"E, I am thoroughly confused, what are we talking about again."

"You are an ass." Elliot groused before hanging up. Christian chuckled and got back to work.

Unfortunately for him, he only managed a couple more hours before the next interruption came in the form of a knock on his door. "Come in." He answered absentmindedly; his entire focus was on the documents in front of him. He was hoping to have the documents reviewed and signed, but at the rate his day was going, it would be a miracle if he made it home by eight. He looked up briefly to find his mother standing in the doorway, staring at him.

"I was told you haven't had lunch yet," Ella moved to the couch.

"Yeah, I was hoping to finish this at a reasonable hour." Before Anastasia, he would have taken his time and be done when he was done.

Ella chuckled but said nothing as she placed a sandwich in front of him. "I want to have dinner with Anastasia tonight at a reasonable hour." He admitted putting down the stack of paper and grabbing his sandwich. "How is dad? I know I haven't called in a while..."

"He's fine. We may be older, but we understand young love. We do hope you and Ana will attend the benefit for the hospital this weekend."

"Shit, I completely forgot... I haven't asked her."

"You can do that tonight. Ana will have ample time to find a dress... or you can send her to Caroline."

"Yeah, I think I will send her to Ms. Acton." He smiled at the thought of Anastasia. It was clear they were going public this weekend. He knew it was coming, he had just hoped to delay it a little longer. They had talked about it over the weekend, and Anastasia seemed to have taken the possible intrusion into her life when they went public with their relationship well. Of course, the actuality might leave her feeling very different.

"I take it you were told about Miss Kavanagh's attempts to corner you." He couldn't help the chortle that left him.

"Ella rolled her eyes at the thought of Katherine Kavanagh and her obsession with the Grey family." I was informed, although I have yet to run into her."

"Have you altered your routine?" Ella raised an eyebrow at her son.

"I'm sorry, did you just ask if I had changed my routine to avoid that silly girl?"

"No." He turned his attention to his phone. "Could you record whatever happens if she does approach you?" He sounded so much like he did as a child when he wanted something and was sure he wasn't going to get it.

"I will be, Jason already informed me of your plan to get a restraining order if she persists." She shook her head. "I should warn you she will be at the benefit this weekend. Her family is invited, and I doubt she will miss it knowing you will be there."

"She can go anywhere she pleases as long as she leaves me alone, there shouldn't be any issues, but that is wishful thinking on my part."

"I will speak to Carrick about that restraining order. I think it will be prudent if it was for the whole family." Ella stood to clear the remains of their lunch. "Say hi to Ana for me." She added as she walked out.

* * *

Ana yawned as she collapsed in her seat, on days like this, she wished she was coffee mad as the rest of the office. She booted up her PC and again found herself yawning. "It is getting old." She groused as she promptly felt another yawn brewing.

"It doesn't look as though this is the day to have you working on the things I need you working on." Jack teased. "You look beat." He added.

"I'll be fine, what do you have for me." She sat up straight giving him eye contact.

Jack sat on the edge of her desk and let out a resigned sigh. "As assistants go, you are the best I've ever worked with. As much as I would love to keep you in this position until I retire, that is not fair, nor will Elizabeth allow it. With that in mind let's talk Boyce Fox." Ana was now wide-awake and very alert. "I read it with your notes and, honestly..." Jack shook his head in disbelief. "It makes all the difference. Hell, I would not in a million years have looked at it that way. Such a simple switch of characters and all a sudden I'm reading an unpredictable, suspenseful, full of twist thriller instead of the run of the mill trope that comes through here." He blew out the breath he was holding. "Long story short, call Mr. Fox and get the ball rolling. This one is all yours. I will be offering my advice and lending a hand if you ask, but this is all yours." Ana was at a loss for words as she stared at her boss in shock. "I know it's a lot with your work, but I thought we could get in some..."

"No, no, that's not it. I can do that and what I'm already doing. It's not that much." He figured she'd say just as much. "I'm surprised by it all."

"Right, well I suggest you process that news quickly and get the mundane stuff out of the way, and then you call Mr. Fox at around ten and get the ball rolling."

"Yes, I can do that," Ana muttered as she pulled herself together.

By the time lunch rolled around, Boyce Fox was damn near screaming on the phone. The words, genius, absolute genius, mind-blowing, brilliant, and astute had been thrown Ana's way by Mr. Fox. It was obvious he loved the changes Ana had made to his book. He had agreed to allow her to publish the book. She typed out the obligatory conditional publishing offer legal required and added it to her outgoing mail. They had a planned meeting at the end of the week. Ana was on cloud nine, and there was no coming down.

Of course, staying on cloud nine was made easier by the large display of red roses that was sitting beside her desk when she got back from lunch. She quickly grabbed the card even though she knew who it was from.

'_I don't believe I told_

_you how much I love_

_you this morning._

_Love, Christian.'_

At the end of the day, she knew she couldn't cart her flowers home on the bus or walk, so she called Sawyer. Christian had introduced her to the man who had been keeping an eye on her for some time now. "Wow." A voice muttered. Ana groaned internally at the sight of Stella, the woman didn't know when to call it quits. Stella had valiantly tried to get Ana to disclose more about her relationship with Christian, even going as far as trying to get Cindy, Errol and Elizabeth to tell her more. Even though she had so far failed, she kept at it. If only she applied that tenacity to her job. "If that doesn't say I love you, I don't know what does." Ana was saved having to respond by Sawyer's timely arrival.

"Miss Steele, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, Sawyer, thank you." With a nod, Sawyer lifted the flowers with little effort.

"You certainly hit the jackpot." Stella sneered as Ana walked away. Neither Ana nor Sawyer gave Stella another thought.

* * *

When she arrived at Escala, Christian was leaning against his car. "That was not predictable, cliché, or boring." He teased.

"No, for I love you, roses are the best," Ana replied with an eye roll. "Why are you down here?"

"Waiting for you. Sawyer has to inform Taylor of his movements, I was in the car when the text came through." She nodded then kissed him.

"I love you too." She said with a giggle.

"Have dinner with me." He had read through more documents than his eyes could cope with to make it home at a reasonable hour. In the end, his mother had come to his rescue, allowing him to leave earlier than expected. Her dad was working late so his mom was not in a hurry to get home.

"Sounds good, Gail's cooking is to die for."

"Oh so, it's not about spending time with me." He teased.

"Of course not." She retorted as they entered the elevator.

"There is a benefit this weekend for Seattle General, I was hoping my girlfriend would go with me." Ana looked up at him as she knew what it meant. It was a good thing she had accepted Sawyer as a bodyguard. Now, he was going to be around a lot more.

"Of course, I've never been to anything of the sort, I'm actually looking forward to it."

"Excellent, he beamed. You have to make an appointment one of these days after work to see Caroline Acton. She's a personal shopper at Neiman Marcus."

"Oh yeah, clothes and accessories." She groaned.

"It won't be that bad." He chuckled at her look.

"Of course, it will. I will be forced to try on one stifling outfit after another until I find one that is bearable." He couldn't but think how cute she was when she went on her little rants. "Oh, by the way, my idea to switch the antagonist and the protagonist in Boyce Fox's manuscript worked brilliantly. Jack says it's all mine." She was beaming as they entered the apartment.

"This calls for a celebration." Christian took her coat and planted a soft kiss on her neck, working his way down, earning a small moan for his effort.

"Don't start anything. I'm sleeping tonight, and alone." She warned before he could get any ideas.

"Of course." He shrugged off his own coat. "What are your plans for Thanksgiving?"

"I haven't got any concrete plans. I usually go home to Ray's, but I was thinking of inviting him and José down this year. Why?"

"I was hoping we could go to my folks."

"Okay." She happily took the offered glass of wine. "Thanks, Gail."

"My pleasure, Ana."

"That was easy." Christian murmured.

"I don't have any real plans, and I like your idea."

"Mom will be so happy, the more, the merrier during the holidays. Any other time she doesn't want a damn person in her house." He chuckled.

"Holidays are best when you have people around, any other time of the year and they are just a nuisance," Ana agreed wholeheartedly.

"So, this Saturday...

"What about it?" She was so nonchalant about it, it concerned him.

"Ana..."

"Oh, ooh."

"What?"

"When you call me Ana, then it's serious." She teased. With everyone else, it was the other way round. When she had introduced Christian as her boyfriend to Ray during her birthday party, he had not been the least bit surprised. His reason, the minute Ana let him get away with calling her Anastasia, he knew where it was headed.

"Well, it is. The press will be relentless in learning all about you. I have never publicly dated anyone, as you know. I'm just worried..."

"Christian, it is what I expect. There is no use in lamenting about it, it will happen no matter how I react. Why give myself the headache over the inevitable." She shrugged.

"Well, when you put it like that."

"Good, now let me finish my food in peace."

"Yes, ma'am." He quipped.

"Smart ass," Ana mumbled. Christian answering grin had her giggling despite herself.

A few hours later, Ana was ready to head back to her apartment. "I know it's early. But I have to get going. I want to get to work by seven," Ana managed past the yawn.

"It's early, we can intertwine our naked bodies for a couple of hours, that should knock you right out." How he managed to say it with a straight face was beyond her.

Ana should have known better, his easy acquiescence earlier was proof he didn't mean a word of it. "I think I made it clear a couple of hours ago I was going to sleep in my own bed and alone," Ana reiterated.

"I know, but it's only half past eight, and if it helps, we can go down to your apartment, and I will happily do the walk of shame." He'd say anything to spend the night with her.

"You can stay until eleven, and then I'm kicking you out," Ana agreed with a sigh.

"Why can't I just sleep until morning? I will be quiet leaving."

"If I recall correctly and I do recall correctly, you made the same promise yesterday when we got home. What happened? We ended up going to bed at three, and I woke up with you wrapped around me like a vine. And why are you so hot at night, honestly all that heat can't be good for you." Again, his thoughts centered on how cute she looked when she was ranting.

"Okay, I will leave at eleven."

He didn't.

* * *

The staff at SIP frequented Fifties, a bar not far from the publishing house. Kate had taken to going to the bar in disguise. What she had learned was vital, people talked when they had a few drinks, none more so than a woman named Stella. Stella was a jealous shrew, which Kate found despicable. Katherine Kavanagh was so blind to her own faults; she did not see herself as on par with the likes of Stella Olyphant. Stella Olyphant hated Ana, and that was clear. Kate had struck up a conversation as the only two girls there without company when Stella Olyphant within half an hour started ranting and raving about Ana. Thanks to her, Kate was able to glean little information about Ana and Christian. Unfortunately, she still had no idea where Ana lived, and finding out was proving impossible. She knew a couple of Ana's friends also frequented the bar, but they didn't gossip behind her back even if it was to say something positive. For Kate, that was a major inconvenience as they were the ones with the relevant information.

Worse, she couldn't get José to talk either, in fact, she had pushed one too many times now he was ignoring her. José, she knew had always been in Ana's corner, and so wasn't entirely surprised by his silence.

Today was no different; Stella appeared to be in a particularly foul mood. "Hey, you don't look happy." Kate chuckled. She hoped it was about Ana as it always was.

"So, the largest bouquet of red roses you will ever see. I mean it was the most ostentatious display of... ugh. Seriously, do they need to rub it in all our faces? When people have to try so hard to convince others of their love, it tells you everything."

Kate could see the jealousy masked with disgust. A bouquet of flowers was the oddest thing to be appalled by. Then a word Stella had used registered. "Love." Kate's voice broke on the word.

"Oh yeah, I got a peek at the card before she and Jack got back from lunch. Apparently Christian Grey forgot to tell her he loved her this morning." Kate gripped the stem of her wine glass with such force it broke.

"Shit." She muttered when her wine spilled onto the table, fortunately for her, there was little left in the glass. "Sorry to dash, but I have to get going." She bolted out the bar giving Stella little time to inquire about her wellbeing.

"Kate made it to her car before she started hyperventilating. Love, he had told her he loved Ana, but telling Ana wasn't something she expected so soon. Or was it Ana still wasn't putting out and he needed to say what he thought would seal the deal. Kate, with every fiber of her being wanted to believe the latter, but her brain and heart wouldn't cooperate. She couldn't panic just yet, this Saturday at the benefit, she would get the chance to endear herself to his parents. She will show them just how much more suitable she was for their son than Anastasia fucking Steele.


	19. Chapter 19

From the moment they stepped out of Christian's Audi SVU, it was as though no one else existed. Every cameraman and reporter's sole focus was suddenly Christian Grey and the woman on his arm. Reporters had already started hurling questions at the pair incessantly even though they were ignored.

For a brief moment, Ethan Kavanagh indulged in a fantasy of being the one whispering sweet nothings into Ana's ear. The pair seemed to be in a world of their own, not the flashes from the camera or the shouting could distract them. He shook his head to clear the image of himself and Ana from his brain. "Come on, let's go inside." Ethan practically had to drag his sister away. She had stared at the pair with conflicting emotions. Her longing for Christian Grey was as evident as her hatred of Ana.

"Come on, I need a drink." He dragged Kate to the bar with him. His parents were running late, and until they got there, he was tasked with keeping an eye on Kate.

"I saw that dress at Neiman Marcus, they wouldn't even let me try it on as it was being held for someone. I guess I know who that someone was." Kate sneered.

"What dress?" Ethan asked not that he cared.

"The dress Ana is wearing." Ethan couldn't deny she looked sensational in the yellow gown. He didn't care about the designer, the shape or style of the dress. Ana just looked great in it, and everyone could see that, except for Kate.

"It doesn't even look good on her. It's all wrong... wrong shape, wrong skin tone..." Ethan knew his sister well enough to know she was lying. He also remembered her telling Ana that with her pale skin tone yellow was a fantastic color on her.

"Try and rein in the green-eyed monster before it manipulates you into doing something stupid." Ethan sighed in relief when he saw his parents. He promptly abandoned Kate and moved over to a couple of girls he recognized, just maybe he might get laid tonight and forget about Ana for a few hours.

* * *

"Ana dear, you look sensational." Ella beamed at his son's girlfriend.

"Doesn't she just." Christian murmured as he pulled out her chair for her. "Us men are at such a disadvantage when it comes to clothes. I mean no one knows this tux is new. It looks like the same one I've worn since I was sixteen." He moaned.

"You could always wear a neon green tux with glittering purple top and matching shoes." Ana quipped much to everyone's amusement.

"And would you have been all lovey-dovey in front of the cameras if he was in neon green and purple tux?" Mia asked with a giggle.

"The clothes don't make the man," Ana responded, instinctively leaning into Christian. "When he first saw me, I was dressed, and I use the word dressed loosely here. I was in the most shapeless outfit known to man, and he still tried to sweet talk me into a weekend with him."

"You are never going to let me live that down." He mumbled.

"Nope." She turned and smiled at him. "You were so shameless in asking for a one night stand." She mock glared at him.

"Somehow, he still managed to get the girl whose best friend is currently staring daggers at her." Elliot just couldn't help himself.

"Let her stare, looking never killed anyone," Carrick said nonchalantly. "After tonight, we will have that restraining order in place if she is stupid to go through with her plan." He added just as William got everyone's attention.

"Welcome to the twelfth annual benefit gala for the Seattle General Hospital. I will first like to thank the Four Seasons hotel for donating this ballroom for this event. I'm not going to bore you as I want you to part with your hard earned cash, well for some of you, your parent's hard earned cash." That earned a few laughs. "Enjoy the evening and remember to pony up." With that, he joined his family at their table.

"You get less shy about asking for money with each passing year." Ella teased.

"Nothing like that, just in a hurry to get the evening going." He took a large sip of his wine. "When do we expect the Kavanagh girl to make her move?" Everyone at the table burst into laughter.

"Sometimes, you give Elliot a run for his money, and that's saying something." Ella shook her head at her husband.

"I mean she has been trying to corner you for a couple of weeks now, this is the perfect opportunity if you ask me," William added. Ella had to admit he had a point.

"Let's be honest, these events are hella boring, and for once we might just have some decent entertainment if she is brave enough," Elliot added.

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with you finding out you were used to get close to Christian." Mia quipped.

Elliot raised his eyebrows at his sister. "I'm sorry, but at what point did you forget who I am. As if I give a toss about that. She pretty much gave herself away the minute I mentioned Chris's interest in Ana. She kept calling and texting even though I made it clear we were done."

"Got a point there." Mia agreed.

"You'd think for once you'd all behave while we have Ana among us." Grace admonished.

"Oh please, she lived with Kavanagh for over four years, I believe she is used to a little dysfunction," William answered.

"Actually, I find it all funny and rather warm." She admitted shyly. "I'm an only child. I have always wanted a large family, for a long while it was just my dad and me." She said with a shrug.

"Wonderful, we are guaranteed several grandchildren then." Ella cheered much to Christian and Ana's dismay and everyone else's amusement.

"Mom," Christian warned.

"What, I'm just stating the obvious." She muttered as their starter was placed in front of them.

"Hopefully the food will shut them up," Christian whispered to Ana.

* * *

"Let's go bid on something." Christian helped Ana out of her chair.

"I don't need anything." She argued.

"No one here needs anything, but we get it anyway because it for charity and a tax write off." Ella chuckled at her son's explanation. In all fairness, it was true.

"Go and bid on a handbag or something for me," Ella said, getting rid of William.

"Why, I want to..."

"William, go and win your wife something nice." With a huff, William went to see what was available on the silent auction. Ella could see Christian laughing at his father from where he stood at the bar with Ana.

She had been so focused on her family she hadn't notice Kavanagh approach. "Dr. Grey, mind if I sit." Ella, for a second, wondered what the girl would do if she said no. In truth, they had given up thinking the girl had decided against it.

"Sit." Ella was well aware of what the girl thought her son needed. She had to wonder how she could know that when she had no idea who Christian was outside of the little written about him.

"Thank you." Kate simpered as she saw Ana looking at her from the corner of her eye. Kate knew she had made mistakes with Christian, she hadn't been wrong about what he wanted. She knew he only said what he said because he was recording the conversation. He needed to sound like the ideal man for Ana, something Kate knew he wasn't. To his mother, she would be the perfect woman for Christian because Dr. Grey didn't need to say shit to impress Ana. With that thought in mind, she turned looked at Ana directly.

"I heard you two used to be roommates," Ella said nonchalantly.

"Yes." Kate, at that moment realized she had no idea what Dr. Grey knew or didn't know.

"So what happened between you two? You two haven't said a word to each other all night." Kate shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

"She chose to move out, even though I didn't want her to."

"And you two not talking." Kate was squirming now.

"That is personal." Ella nodded with a smile. She knew she could push, and Kate's need to impress her meant she would answer bending the truth to flatter her, but Ella let it go.

They both stared at Ana as she and Christian stood at the bar, heads together talking. "The second I laid eyes on her, I knew she'd be perfect for Christian." And out the window went Kate's argument about Ana been wrong for Christian. Out the state went her argument about Ana's lack of pedigree. Out the continent went her argument about Dr. Grey not finding Ana suitable for Christian.

Ella watched the different emotions play out on Katherine Kavanagh's face. "Ana barely paid Christian any attention while he couldn't keep his eyes off her. At his age, I don't meddle, his life is his own, and he has every right to live it how he sees fit." Ella turned and looked at Ana with a beaming smile and a small wave. Kate sat up straight then. "I don't interfere in his life, but when it came to that woman, I just couldn't have her walking away. I didn't let pride get in the way of my pleading with her to give my son a chance." Ella knew the revelation had damn near killed Kate. Her sitting up straight was a feeble attempt to hold herself together. It was all falling apart, and Ella hadn't even gotten started.

"You begged Ana to date Christian?" Of all the information Kate had, she didn't have that one. Ana had said something about his mother fighting his corner, but in truth, she had dismissed it. Hell, she'd forgotten all about it, thinking Ana was outright lying or exaggerating the truth. Kate had hoped she could somehow get passed Dr. Grey believing Ana was perfect for Christian, but to learn she had begged Ana to date Christian was an entirely different kettle of fish. This rendered her well-rehearsed answers redundant. A small part of Kate wondered if she had walked into a trap as everything Dr. Grey was saying sounded like a preemptive strike.

Ella had watched the girl for most of the night, and it was apparent Katherine Kavanagh believed the family didn't see Ana as suitable for Christian. Kate had been watching for signs, which she clearly saw, or else she would have abandoned this foolish pursuit. Ella couldn't help but wonder what Kate saw when she saw her and Ana together. Was it because Ana had been relatively quiet at the dinner table? It was evident to Ella that Ana had been observing the family banter. The girl had done nothing but smile and laugh at their conduct all night. "Oh yes, my son has been rather bullheaded about settling down, but when I saw the way he looked at Ana, I knew my prayers had finally been answered. Truth be told, I would not have cared the type of girl he brought home, as long as she loved and cared for him as much as he did. As luck would have it, Ana turned out to be perfect."

"Why?" Kate asked, barely above a whisper.

"Why what?" Ella's eye was still on her son and girlfriend. They had found Elliot and Mia and whatever conversation they were having was clearly on the funny side.

"Why do you think Ana is perfect for Christian?" Kate asked believing she had the qualities Dr. Grey was looking for.

"Looking at her reminds me of me at that age, I see a quiet strength I didn't possess until William came into my life. I am intelligent and beautiful, but at a young age, I didn't see it and didn't think much of myself... so much so that when the first boy came around with his sweet words and false promises I fell for it and ended up pregnant with Christian. I have no regrets about Christian; it also thought me a huge lesson. I grew into the person I am now. I see those same characteristics in Ana. I see the same intelligence, beauty, grace, humility, and strength.

It is that strength that had my son jumping over hoops to be with her. Christian doesn't want or need someone who kowtows to him. No, he needs someone who will call him out on his bullshit all the while saying I love you. When he starts his nonsense, all Ana has to do is lift an eyebrow and he shuts up. It's a relationship of equals, not a one-sided power trip. Although, I have heard the best marriages are the ones where the man knows that as equal as they are. The wife runs the show." She chuckled to herself.

"Above all else, she brings out the best in my son, and he does the same for her. She doesn't give two shits about his money if anything it's something of a hurdle I believe. She isn't there to simply look good on his arm, someone he takes to business lunches with so he can sell the family company slogan. You are the same age, and yet she is a woman, while you, Miss Kavanagh are a girl." Kate scoured through her brain for a comeback, just one word to give her an edge, but none came.

Ella could see her words so far had had no impact on the girl's designs on her son. If anything, she was looking for a way to salvage the conversation. Oh, Ella could have sat down let the girl spill her bullshit as to why she was the better option for Christian. But she found this far more entertaining to watch the girl as she tore down every argument before she could even make it. "But none of that matters to you does it. I'm just one more attempt in a long line of attempts to get to my son." Kate tried to school her features, but it was too late. "You are easy to read, and no matter how much you try to hide the truth your body is revealing, I can still read you.

"You clearly believe you are better for my son because of a reason, so tell me, Miss Kavanagh, what do you think you can possibly give my son that Ana can't?" Kate just stared at her at a loss for words. "Take your time and think about your answer." Ella sat back and took a sip of her champagne.

Kate watched her as she watched Ana with a serene smile on her face. She now had this one opportunity to best Ana, but for the life of her, she couldn't think of an answer. Oh, she had plenty of answers before the conversation, but Dr. Grey had rendered them moot. Christian didn't need a trophy wife. He didn't need a woman who just said yes. Christian Grey didn't need someone who allowed him his affairs. He didn't need a woman simply because she thought she understood his world. He needed someone who understood him and someone he understood. For the first time, she could admit she had been wrong about what Christian needed.

"I will be whatever he needs." She answered confidently even though she had no idea what that was.

"And what is that." She didn't have an answer, but even if she did the arrival of Ana diverted Ella's attention.

Kate was internally raging at Ana's arrival, of course, she would show up just as Kate was making headway with Christian's mother. Kate saw Ana's appearance at the table as her former friend's attempt to derail her plans. No, what this was, was a well-planned ambush because it was obvious to all that if Kate's plans with Ella didn't work out, she might target William next, and any other Grey she thought she could persuade.

"Hello dear, I see Elliot was busy entertaining you." Ella smiled broadly at her son's girlfriend.

"Actually, it was Mia this time. Elliot apparently couldn't get a thing out of Christian about our weekend trip, so he tried me, and well I was just as silent about it. He threatened to keep his stories to himself, something that was a blessing to those who have been forced to listen to them over the years."

"Indeed it has, that boy has no shame." Ella sighed in resignation.

"Of course, Elliot doesn't see it that way. He believes you are all just jealous. Mia made a rather hilarious comment about his past dalliances. Something about no one in their right mind bragging about a conquest that was in effect using him to get to..." Ana cleared her throat and shot Kate a surreptitious glance before looking back at Ella.

"There are days that I pretend I don't know him," Ella whispered salaciously.

"Christian told me about that," Ana giggled.

"It's the best way to deal with his... frankly the word that best describes Elliot hasn't been invented yet. At the same time, you can't help but love him."

"Oh, aunty Ella, I knew you loved me." Elliot wrapped his arms around her.

"You knew he was standing behind me, didn't you." Ella playfully glared at Ana, who could only laugh in response.

"Ana banana here is now fully on board the Elliot train." Elliot sat next to Ana ignoring Kate's very existence.

"Not if you continue to call me Ana banana." She warned shrugging his huge arm off her shoulder.

"Finally." Christian groaned as he collapsed in the seat next to his mother. "Honestly, I can't take any more ass kissing."

"Oh, you poor man." Ana teased earning a chuckle from Elliot. Christian glared at the two then promptly rolled his eyes.

"I preferred the days when she didn't like you," Christian muttered.

"I'm sure you do." Elliot quipped.

"Miss Kavanagh, I believe you still haven't answered my question," Ella said nonchalantly.

"What question is that?" Elliot Grey ever the gossip couldn't help but ask.

"She believes she is more suitable for Christian than Ana here, so as a mother looking out for my son's best interest, I want to know how she is the more suitable option."

"That's a fair question, and as a father, I would like to know the answer as well," William said as he, Grace and Carrick joined the family at the table.

"Please, as if you..."

"Christian, let the girl answer the question." Ella cut off whatever choice words he had for Kavanagh.

Kate realized the family she so desperately wanted to be a part off now surrounded her as she had always wanted, but this wasn't exactly how she'd wanted it. The few minutes she had been sat there, she had gotten a glimpse of their family dynamic, a family dynamic she wasn't a part of. Although she had their attention, the one thing she so desperately craved, yet it felt like a noose around her neck.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't Katherine 'use my brother to get to my cousin' Kavanagh. What are you doing at our table?" Mia sneered.

"Mia, shush... we are waiting for Katherine's wise words on her suitability for your cousin." Grace admonished.

Kate bit her tongue to stop the retort bubbling up in her throat. She honestly had no idea who Elliot was in relation to Christian the night they met, but she had tried to use Elliot after she found out. She, unfortunately, showed her hand too soon after Elliot's comment about Christian's interest in Ana. She had tried to salvage it, but Elliot wasn't interested.

As Ana stared at her former friend, a small part of her felt sorry for her. She couldn't imagine putting herself in such a humiliating position.

Kate's sinking feeling turned to anger when she found Ana looking at her with such pity. It was the final straw. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO PITY ME?" Kate bellowed drawing attention to the gathering no one had previously paid mind to.

"Be careful, Miss Kavanagh," Christian warned.

"Oh, go fuck yourself. Who do you think you are?" She screeched.

"I am the man you are currently embarrassing yourself over." Those words brought on a moment of clarity. Kate looked around the room and found almost everyone looking at her. Her father looked furious, while Ethan and her mother just looked mortified.

Ethan, the one person she thought would be in her corner, couldn't even look at her. What Kate didn't know was that most people in the room knew about her obsession with Christian. Elliot and Mia, ever the gossips had spread the entire sordid detail among their social circle. Tonight, a few of his friends had asked him if it was true. He had denied it, and now he looked like an idiot defending a lost cause.

Two girls Kate knew well started sniggering in the corner blowing to smithereens that moment of clarity. "This is all your fault." Kate turned her ire on Ana. "If you had just left him like I told you none of this would be happening."

"You sound as though I am the hurt party here, as though I am the one humiliating myself in front of her... social circle," Ana mocked.

"Miss Kavanagh, for your family's sake I will advise you to shut up..." Christian tried again.

"You shut up. Just because you think you have money..."

"Everyone in this room has money." Christian countered in a bored tone.

"Your precious girlfriend doesn't." She sneered looking at Ana with the conceited look that belied the nature of the current humiliation she was facing.

"Actually, you will find she has more money than you do," Ella interjected. "Let's be honest, without your father, you have nothing. Your trust fund, your apartment, your car, and your job, are all things he gave you. You didn't earn any of that. What would you have if he decided to take all that away from you? Ana, on the other hand, has earned every cent, pays for her apartment, got her job on her own merit. She is financially independent.

Effectively, Miss Kavanagh, Ana here has far more than you do, and she earned it through hard work. You seem determined to blame everyone else for your actions. My son doesn't want you, why can't you just accept it and move on before you disgrace yourself any further. This is the same man you told Ana to dump because he was a hypocritical, male chauvinistic pig and yet here you are trying to sell yourself to his mother hoping she fights your corner. My God, don't you possess a modicum of self-respect.

Yes, he is wealthy, good looking and has made quite the name for himself, but tell me, Miss Kavanagh, would you be so hell-bent on him if he had none of those things. You have obsessed over a man you know nothing about. What do you know of the man outside what you've read in the papers? You can't tell me why he should dump his girlfriend for you or why I should support you. Can you tell me why you are so hell-bent on him?" Ella just sat back and stared at the girl. "You can't, can you. Was it the prestige of being seen on his arm? Why can't you achieve that prestige on your own? Why can't you elevate yourself through your own hard work? You have been afforded every opportunity to do just that, and yet here you are humiliating yourself and your family over a man.

He is my son, and I love him, but there are plenty of men like him in the world. You could have put yourself in a position where men like him coveted you, not the other way round. There is nothing wrong with a woman going after a man she wants, but when it's made clear the feeling is not mutual or worse there is someone already occupying the position you want, and you persist, that is where you've crossed a line. We tell men 'no means no' all the time. Well, when a man says no, it also means no. Had this been a man doing what you are doing to a woman, we'd all be advising her to go to the authorities before it escalates. Do yourself a favor and walk away before the damage becomes irreversible."

"I..."

"Katherine, I strongly suggest you heed Dr. Grey's advice and walk away." Her father voice cut through the haze of anger and defeat she couldn't see past.

"You..."

Kenneth Kavanagh knew he couldn't let his daughter complete that sentence. He could see it in her eyes; she was about to blame him and might reveal his rather foolish encouragement of her delusions. "Kate if you want to keep the money, the apartment, the car, and the job, you will keep your mouth shut. You have caused us enough humiliation." Kate just stared at him in defeat as tears ran down her face. "Enough, let's go home." Kenneth turned and looked at the Greys. "I am truly sorry about this." He didn't know what else to say. He had promised once already to keep Kate away, and he had failed miserably. If he still owned Kavanagh Media by the end of the month, it will be a miracle.


	20. Chapter 20

Ana pulled Christian's jacket tighter around her as they walked to the car. His bowtie hung loosely around his neck, his shirt unbuttoned almost all the way, the sleeves rolled up and his hand was a pair of shoes. The two were wrapped around each other as they walked to the car. Taylor couldn't contain his smile at the sight. They looked great together, despite their disheveled state. "Good morning, sir, Miss Steele." He opened the car door for the pair.

"Morning, Jason," Ana mumbled tiredly. She wasn't a night owl, something Christian often teased her about. She sighed as she settled into the heated seat; it felt good to be heading home.

"How are you feeling? I know we expected her to attempt something... I just..."

"A small part of me feels sorry for her," Ana interjected.

"Feeling sorry for people leads to underestimation. That was the mistake she made with you and will soon realize that. She felt sorry for you simply because in her eyes you didn't have what she had, because of that she underestimated you. She thought nothing of you hence sending you to interview me because in her mind I will see you as she does. She thought we were from the same world, therefore viewed the world the same way, so why will I find you desirable enough to chase you."

"In all honesty, I allowed it. I was an entirely different person with everyone. Kate never knew me, and I didn't feel the need to go out of my way to show her the real me either."

"A good thing too if you ask me. Had you shown Kavanagh the real you, who knows just how far she would have gone to sabotage your life? My mom put it best, everything you have, you earned. Everything she has was given to her by her father." It was something Christian had learned at a young age. He found ten dollars once under the dining room table. His mother had asked for her money back, but Christian had boldly claimed it was his. Ella asked him when he earned it. Every cent and dollar in that house was either hers and or his fathers'. He hadn't earned a cent yet to be claiming any money found in the house was his. That summer he got a job cutting lawns in the neighborhood after putting up flyers offering his services. He cleaned out sheds, cleaned pools, you name it if he could, he did it.

"Speaking of her father did you see the way Kate looked at him when he told her to stop." Ana chuckled, thinking about the look on Kenneth's face.

"You mean the look where it was obvious she blamed him for what was happening." Christian had caught that moment. Kavanagh's panic gave so much away. "I suspected he had encouraged her obsession, and her reaction to him proved it. No one in that family did anything to dissuade her of her delusions because they were all for it. Kavanagh has for years tried to get close to my family, but well, grandma Carol doesn't like him, so he didn't stand a chance. I think he believed she was his way in."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll have Ros put things in place... I don't think I will go for the kill just yet. If I take Kavanagh Media, his daughter has no incentive to leave us the fuck alone."

"And what if she doesn't?"

"Then I guess I can add multimedia to GEH's long list of pies we have a hand in. But for all their sakes I hope they get her help because this isn't just going to go away without intervention."

"Call Kenneth and make that a stipulation for staying your hand." Christian looked down at the woman who was practically asleep next to him and smiled.

"It's a brilliant idea. I will do just that."

* * *

'_Her name is Anastasia Steele; she works at SIP. Jack Hyde, the CEO of SIP, is an old friend so I called him, and he had nothing but praise for the young lady. She is currently working as his assistant while also doing the job of a junior editor.'_

"They are talking about me," Ana murmured in disbelief. She knew they would, but a small part of her brain had her convinced she was not a celebrity, therefore, they wouldn't care who she was.

"Yeah, it's the information released about you on the benefit's website. I hope that is okay?

"It's fine... you told me they would... did he say Jack was the CEO of SIP?" She finally clocked that bit of information.

"Yep... wait, you didn't know?" That took Christian by surprise.

"No, he never mentioned it, and no one else did." She muttered as she joined him at the breakfast table.

"They thought you knew, like me, I suppose."

"I guess," Ana muttered.

"What would you like for breakfast?" Gail asked, wiping her hands on a dishtowel.

"Scrambled egg and toast." Gail smiled. She wasn't the least bit surprised. Since she made it for Ana, it was the one thing she requested the most.

"You know Gail can make other dishes right." Christian teased, but before Ana could answer the broadcasters on the breakfast show started again.

'_In other news, Kenneth Kavanagh must be reeling this morning from his daughter's embarrassing turn at the benefit gala last night. Several sources told us of Katherine Kavanagh's obsession with Christian Grey, so can you imagine just how much it rankled to find her best friend dating the man she has always wanted.' _

'_Ouch.' _The female co-host added.

'_Indeed, according to another source, she tried to embarrass Miss Steele only to have the tables turned on her. Apparently, Katherine Kavanagh believes Miss Steele does not have the money, the pedigree or societal connections to be dating the likes of Christian Grey. It seems the Grey family did not agree, and that was what caused the outburst.'_

'_My sister went to school with that girl, she was an entitled brat then, and she is clearly still one now. Well, Kate..." _Ana could hear the disdain in the female broadcaster's voice. _'...I hope this has knocked you down a peg or two and you have learned your lesson.' _

"Wow," Ana whispered.

"I'm not surprised, they are owned by a media company that is in direct competition with Kavanagh Media. I'm surprised they didn't show the video."

"What video?" Ana turned her attention to him instead of the TV.

"Ariel sent me a video this morning. Kavanagh's shame has made it all the way to New York." He said with a shrug. Ana didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she was squarely in the middle of it all. It was as she ate Breakfast that she recognized that her life would never be the same again. "I know it's Sunday, and we have to..."

"No, go ahead, we have time." Ana understood he had to put things in place were the Kavanaghs were concerned. She looked down at the table to find a picture of him and Christian in the entertainment section of the Seattle Times. It wasn't the one taken when they arrived, but it was of them leaving the benefit. She didn't recall seeing anyone as they left the hotel, not that it counted. The more she looked at the picture, the more she loved it.

Meanwhile, in his office, Christian was already in a foul mood at having to spend his Sunday in the office dealing with Katherine Kavanagh and her shit. "I saw it, do you want me to start buying up more shares?"

"Just enough to put me on equal footing with Kenneth Kavanagh. I don't care what they are asking for just buy it. Then make sure word spreads about how far I'm willing to go to own Kavanagh Media."

"That is going to shoot the price of shares through the roof," Ros warned.

"Yeah, at a cost Kavanagh cannot afford."

"I see," Ros said with a chuckle. She was sure her boss was well aware of the fact that the move could also tank Kavanagh Media.

"I want that man sweating bullets come tomorrow morning when the market open and practically buried in his own sweat when the market closes."

"I'm on it. Although, if the Kavanaghs do manage to screw this chance up. I do know someone who would love to run the place if it survives."

"Good to hear." Christian wasn't entirely confident Kenneth could get his daughter in line.

Christian slowly dialed Kavanagh's number as the thought of having to deal with him irked him. He had never hated anyone in his life. Not even the man who got his mother pregnant and abandoned her to chase a career that never panned out. In fact, he felt nothing when it came to him, but the Kavanaghs had managed to piss him off to the point of hating them.

"Hello." Kenneth Kavanagh damn near yelled down the phone.

"Well, whatever shit day you are having I'm certainly not going to make it any better. I think it's safe to say I'm about to make it worse." Christian snarked.

"Mr. Grey." Kenneth sighed in resignation. He knew this moment was coming he just thought he at least had until Monday morning to come up with some plan to save Grey taking over.

"I could have sworn we had a conversation where you were going to keep your daughter away from my family. Yet, I watched as you sat there while your daughter accosted my mother, and only intervened when it became clear her plan had failed."

"No, it was..." Kenneth tried.

"I don't care for excuses. You encouraged that girl's obsession and don't insult my intelligence by lying to me. You watched as she approached my mother, sat down, and started talking and did nothing because you hoped she could sway her as you did when she agreed to speak to me about that interview. I don't know when you lot decided my mother was easily talked into shit, but let me make it clear. The only reason my mother agreed to that interview had nothing to do with you and everything to do with GEH.

You have for years tried to get close to my family and have failed... so when it became clear your daughter had an interest in me, you fostered that interest until she was too far gone to see reason. You are as much to blame as she is." Christian Grey's calm demeanor had Kenneth more worried, he would have preferred to have Grey shouting down the phone.

"I... yeah, I see it now, but I guess it's too late." He didn't see the point in putting up a fight or even begging.

"My taking over Kavanagh Media isn't going to get your delusional daughter off my back. Worse, she could decide Anastasia is the easier target, and I can't have that because if she lays a hand on Anastasia, you will all wish to God you were dead. I will stay my hand if you get Katherine help."

"Yes, yes." Kenneth made no effort to hide just how relieved he was.

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not talking about her seeing a therapist once a week. I mean you are sending her to a facility for a few months where she can be away from all negative influence and focus on moving on from this unhealthy obsession." Christian was waiting for the push back.

"Consider it done."

"You've broken one promise already, don't break another." Christian hanged up before Kavanagh could respond.

* * *

**JUNE**_** 1988 **_

"_Daddy... nooo, no... please... daddy." Christian somehow managed to beg through the tears of laughter. Ella looked up from her book to find William in front of the boy blocking his path. Christian managed to catch his breath, then looked behind him for an escape route. Boston Common was a fifty-acre park, but the rules of their game meant Christian had nowhere to go. If he took one more step backward, he would go beyond the boundary they'd set up. Ella knew her son well and knew he was thinking of ways to get out of his current predicament. "Daddy..." He started, but William wasn't going to give him a chance._

"_When we set the rules we said no tickling, but you brought tickling into it so... hey, I'm just following the parameters you set," William argued._

"_I should get punish... no, the other one."_

"_A p__enalty." _

_Yep, I should get one." Christian nodded his head vigorously._

"_Okay, and the penalty is tickling." Ella burst into laughter at the look on Christians face but quickly hid behind her book before they saw her. _

"_Do I get a head start?" Her boy was just too clever for his own good sometimes._

"_How do you get a head start when you broke the rules," William uttered in disbelief._

"_If I already broke the rules then..."_

"_Oh no, you don't." Christian had leaped over the boundary and was running as fast as his little legs could carry him. The hours spent with Christian reading and teaching him to read had improved his vocabulary well past that of most four-year-olds. Of course, all he did with his ability to yammer was try to get out of trouble or sweet talk his grandparents into buying him things she and William had already said no to. _

"_Are they yours?" An older woman asked with a smile on her face._

"_Yes, we just moved here for college and well the little man hasn't been paid much attention. With everything involved in the move we haven't really had that much time with him." She watched just as William caught Christian and the laughter started all over again. _

"_I hope it all goes well for you." She smiled at Ella before turning back to her book. Ella hoped so too. They were a few hundred miles from family, and everything they knew, especially Christian. Though, Christian was adjusting well, except for him missing Elliot, so she couldn't complain. _

"_Mommy." She looked up to her beaming son running towards her._

"_Are you angry?" Food was the only reason Christian would stop playing._

"_Yes." He sighed, and she couldn't help but chuckle. _

"_Where is your dad?" _

"_Talking to a mommy over there. She broke the baby chair, daddy is helping." Ella nodded before grabbing a plate of sandwiches and a bottle of juice from the cooler. She took the saran wrap off the plate and handed it to Christian, who quickly took a huge bite out of his sandwich. If all else fails, a chicken sandwich will do where Christian was concerned. _

"_There's a good idea." William murmured as he joined his family. Ella quickly had a plate in front of him as well._

"_Did you manage to fix whatever it was?" Ella asked._

"_It was a buggy, and it wasn't broken, she pulled the wheel out just to get my attention. It didn't work because I saw her pull it out, but then she couldn't put it back, so I ended up helping anyway." He frowned as he took a bite of his sandwich. Ella chuckled, she has gotten to the point where she was used to these incidents. Three years at Michigan had taught her a lot; it also helped her grow a thick skin over the fact that other women would always want her man. William, on the other hand, didn't do well with men flirting with her. He and Randy nearly got into a fight over Randy's continued flirting, even though she had made clear his very presence irked her. _

"_This one is mine," William muttered drawing her attention back to the two men in her life._

"_Christian gave his dad a skeptical look as William had already taken a sip of his juice. "This is apple juice." Christian nodded, handing his father his unopened bottle of orange and carrot juice with a hint of ginger. Christian hated it, much to grandma Carol's amusement. She'd got Ella into juicing, something they did mostly on the weekends, as they didn't have the time or patience for that every morning as Carol insisted. _

_Fifty minutes later, Christian was struggling to keep his eyes open. "Time to head home." William stood up. "Come on, buddy." He picked Christian up, who buried his face in his father's neck. _

"_This was a great idea," Ella whispered._

"_Yeah, it was... he hasn't mentioned Elliot once today." William murmured. "I'm worried about how he will cope when they leave after their visit." Carrick and Grace were coming down for a visit in a couple of weeks as Elliot missed Christian as well. _

"_You and me both." Ella murmured. _

"_Maybe we should have stayed..."_

"_No." Ella gave him a stern look. "I believe when he starts preschool, he will be alright. It's just right now he doesn't know anyone close to his age. Preschool will change that." _

"_I hope so." William's dream from a young age was to attend Harvard, but when Ella came along, he changed his mind and applied to Michigan instead. Somehow Ella had found out about his dream to go to Harvard and surprised the hell out of him by graduating a year early. Ella knew he would not leave them even for a year until she joined him in Cambridge, so she made sure he got his dream. Graduating a year early meant she could follow him to Cambridge. As ever his mother had stepped in and made sure she applied for her master's in Mathematics instead of looking for work as Ella had initially planned. So they were both about to attend Harvard. With four years of Medical school ahead of William, Ella would also get the chance to go for her Ph.D. if she wished. William smiled at the thought, not if she wished, the minute she was done with her masters, his mother would be on her like white on rice to go for her doctorate. _

_He strapped Christian into the toddler car seat. Ever the gentleman he got the door for Ella, before getting behind the wheel. The drive home was done in comfortable silence. Fifteen minutes later, it was home sweet home. They lived in a four-bedroom house in Riverside, which was much closer to the applied science campus than the medical campus, but that worked out well as he drove and Ella didn't. They had a few weeks before classes began, which gave him time to teach Ella the basics. _

"_What would you like for dinner?" Ella asked as he shut the door to Christian's room softly behind him. _

"_Let's just order in and relax. This is the first time in weeks where we aren't packing or unpacking shit. I am so far from home and mom, I intend to eat my weight in junk food." He promptly grabbed the remote and collapsed on the couch. _

"_William, I am going to be less inclined to have sex with you if you become fat from all the junk food you intend to eat." His jaw dropped as he stared at her in disbelief. _

"_Wow... I can't..."_

"_Put yourself in my shoes." She lifted an eyebrow at him. _

"_Yeah, okay, but just for today can we please order a large meat lovers pizza, some wedges, and spicy wings and a big bottle of coke and a slice of cheesecake." He pleaded._

"_Actually, that sounds really good." She admitted as she grabbed the cordless handset. "You know we should make this a once a month type thing or maybe a couple of weekends a month." He just chuckled at her and switched on the TV. If he got fat, she'd be right there with him._


	21. Chapter 21

Agnes Kavanagh had never understood her husband and daughter's obsession with the Grey's. They had a good name, not as esteemed as the Grey's but they had a name. They had money, they had a good standing in the community so she couldn't understand their need for more. If she was honest with herself, she did understand, it was greed. As she watched her husband grip his phone for dear life as they all listened to the breakfast show hosts make fun of Katherine, she tried to remember a quote by Sylvia Platt. 'Perhaps when we find ourselves wanting everything, it is because we are dangerously close to wanting nothing.'

That quote had never sounded truer than it did at that moment. They had more than likely lost their good name. Their standing in the community was now permeated with the family's humiliation all because her husband and daughter just couldn't be happy with what they had. Now they waited to see what Christian Grey would do next.

Kenneth was squeezing the phone so hard he nearly dropped it when it rang. She listened to the one-sided with surprisingly little interested. If they lost it all so be it as far as she was concerned. Kenneth soon ended the call with a relieved sigh.

"So," Agnes asked her relieved looking husband.

"He will stay his hand if I get Katherine help. He wants her away from Seattle in a facility." Agnes could not hide her relief, and it had nothing to do with them keeping their money. No, it had everything to do with them finally getting Katherine the help she needed. She barely had a relationship with her daughter due to this. She had years ago tried to intervene when she saw where Katherine's obsession with Grey was heading. Katherine had said she was jealous of her beauty and her doing far better than she had. Threw Ken's affair in her face and stormed out. Agnes made a decision that day to sadly sit back and watch her daughter crash and burn. But as a mother who loved her daughter, in reality, she couldn't. She went to her husband, but instead of helping, he encouraged it believing Katherine was his one chance to finally play with the big boys. Ken never understood it was unlikely as he wrote about the big boys. Revealed affairs, money problems, Ken had even sent one of them to prison when he exposed the man's company financial practices, things the big boys wanted to stay hidden.

"I should have listened to you; instead I have... God, I have made such a mess of this. Katherine might never truly recover from this." Kenneth sighed in resignation. He'd get Katherine help; the best money could buy, and pray by some miracle she comes back home with Grey the furthest thing on her mind.

"Will she go?" that was the million-dollar question.

"If she wants to keep everything she has, she will do as I say." Kenneth groused.

* * *

Ethan Kavanagh had no idea if his plan would work before he showed up at his sister's apartment. Kate had ignored all calls, and Kenneth was getting desperate as it had been a couple of weeks since he promised Christian Grey he would get Kate into rehab. Now, he was sure his plan would not work; he couldn't even get her to open the door. "Katie, you'd have to eat sometime." He said through the small gap in the door. The goddamn chain latch was keeping him out. "I could just as easily get a bolt cutter, but I'd rather you let me in." To his surprise, she opened the door after half an hour.

"What do you want?" There was no bite to her words. She looked thoroughly defeated and almost unrecognizable. It was apparent she hadn't showered in some time. The living room was littered in takeout boxes and several bottles of hard liquor.

"For the love of God, Kate..." he looked around in disbelief. "This over a guy?"

"No, this over the fact that I am now a laughing stock of Seattle. I was ridiculed on TV. I have friends calling me only to laugh in my face..."

"That is because they aren't friends." Ethan barked before taking a deep breath. "The only real friend you had was Ana." Kate jerked backed as though he'd slapped her.

"You cannot possibly be serious." She screeched.

"I am." He looked at her and for once decided brutal honesty was the only way to go. "She was your friend, you, on the other hand, weren't hers. She supported you in every way, but you saw her as the poor girl who would have struggled without you. That might have been true, but what you failed to see was that you would have struggled without her as well. You can't cook, you can't clean, in fact, Kate, you are incapable of taking care of yourself. Case and point." He waved his hand around the apartment. "Yes, you humiliated yourself in public, and instead of brushing it off and getting on with your life... what do you do? You decide to eat and drink yourself into... what. Where is this going to get you in the long run, except maybe rehab? How long is this going to go on for?"

"I can't go out there after..."

"No one is talking about you anymore," Ethan shouted in exasperation. "You are yesterday's news. Switch on the TV right now, check every social media platform. Casey Jenkins left Ashleigh Parker at the altar because he found out she slept with half of his friends while they were together. That is what Seattleites are talking about, the ones who give a fuck anyway. No one gives two shits about your obsession with Christian Grey anymore." He picked up a pizza box off the couch and tossed on the floor in disgust. "I am complicit in all this, I should have talked you out of it years ago. It was clear to me long ago he was not the least bit interested in you. If it weren't Ana, it would have been some other girl. It simply wasn't ever going to be you, and I should have helped you comes to terms with that. Honestly, I was afraid if I said anything you'd shut me out like you did mom. She was right, we were wrong." A big part of Ethan quiet was because of Ana. If Kate shut him out, he would also be cut off from Ana. He truly believed he stood a chance and not because Kate kept insisting Ana would go out with him if he asked. He believed it as well, but in the end, Christian Grey beat him to the girl of his dreams, and he had accepted the fact that Ana chose Grey. If only Kate could do the same. "So for once, I am going to do the right thing. It is obvious you need to get out of Seattle, you need a break, so we are taking one." A look of relief came over her features.

"A break would be great." She smiled at him for the first time.

"I love you, but you stink." She took a whiff of herself and screwed up her nose.

"Yeah." He chuckled. "If you can't stand your own body odor, who can?" He got up and started gathering her take out boxes and empty bottles. "We are going to Florida so pack appropriately. Oh, and we have an hour." She glared at him.

"You expect me to shower, do my hair, and get packed in an hour."

"Yeah, if you want to go." He retorted barely sparing her a glance. "Oh, could you sign this for me." Without question, she did in a hurry to get showered and packed. He let out a sigh of relief. He was now over the most significant hurdle as she had signed the papers agreeing to be held for a minimum of six months at a rehab facility in Florida. Without it, she could walk out at any point, and his father wouldn't have that. Kenneth was more concerned about his wealth, while Ethan was worried about Katherine, that is why he agreed to this. Kenneth's plan to get her into rehab would have failed spectacularly. It was evident to him that as it stood, Kate was beyond reasoning with. She didn't care about anything other than herself, and even though rehab would be about bettering herself, he knew his sister would not see it that way. Kate had ignored everything he said about Ana and Christian, It was apparent she wasn't over her obsession despite her public humiliation and that cemented his decision to trick her into going.

An hour and ten minutes later, they were leaving. "Thanks for this Ethan, I am so happy to be getting away from Seattle right now." She smiled as they walked to a black town car."

"Thought we'd do this in style." A driver got out and got Kate's luggage for her.

"Certainly beats a cab," Kate chirped just as she felt a sharp pain on her arm before she could question it she swayed on the spot and then her world went black.

"Here is the consent form. Tell her it is for her own good. I'm sorry I had to lie to her, but I am not sorry for the outcome."

"Mr. Kavanagh, your sister will soon come to see that for herself." As he watched the car disappear, he prayed she'd make the best of it.

* * *

"Give me a sec," Ana shouted quickly grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her. Her hair was dripping wet. "Your timing sucks." She groused as she opened the door.

"Thought I'd come and help you get dressed." He quipped despite her glare.

"Next time, use a key." She threw a key at him and run back to the bathroom.

He stood in the doorway looking down at the key all the while smiling. "I got a key." He muttered to himself as he shut the front door. He had in a way given her a key to the penthouse early on when he gave her the code to the penthouse elevator. He strolled to the bedroom with a smile on his face. Things were looking up; Kavanagh was in rehab and would be gone for a minimum of six months. Ana was still in the bathroom when he got to her bedroom. "I thought you were done." He called out.

"Nope, just got under the shower when you knocked."

"Okay." He shrugged his jacket off and got comfortable on her bed.

Christian was answering emails when she finally emerged from the bathroom in sheer black lingerie. He moved to get up. "No, stay where you are," Ana warned with a glare to boot. He chuckled and lay back down, watching her as she got dressed. "By the way, Katherine Kavanagh is in a rehab facility in Florida. Truth be told, it's more like a country club, but she's out of our hair for a few months at least."

"I hope she actually gets treated while there," Ana responded, slipping her foot into her shoe. "I'm good to go."

For the first time in days, Christian was able to drive them to the Mile High club for their double date with the Hydes. After the benefit and Katherine's humiliation. The press tried to learn more about Ana from the source herself and camped outside SIP. The only personal information they had about her. They had, of course tried her childhood home in Montesano only to have Ray pull a shotgun on them. Apparently, he had fired buckshot into a reporter's camera, destroying the two thousand dollar equipment. The reporter threatened to sue, but then nothing came of it. Ana was sure Christian made it go away. With SIP been private property, they weren't allowed there either, not that they listened. Eventually, Jack resorted to calling the police. Considering the Grey's were known for their generosity when it came to the Seattle Police Department, they weren't going to stand for Christian Grey's girlfriend getting harassed. As it stood only a couple of persistent reporters still hung around hoping for a scoop. They kept their distance, but any picture of Christian and Ana together was worth something even if there was no context to the picture.

* * *

"For once I wish I had attended the benefit instead of sending a check." Jack groused.

"We couldn't get a babysitter even if we were inclined to go." Elizabeth reminded him.

"Well, her father has her in rehab, how he managed it is beyond me," Ana murmured.

"I'm just glad he did." Christian took a sip of his wine. He leaned back, his arm draped around the back of Ana's Chair as he relaxed. He would not say it out loud, but he had been extremely concerned for Ana where Kavanagh was concerned. He knew the girl's thinking was 'get Ana out of the way, and Grey would be mine.' Sometimes all the security in the world could not stop a delusional obsessive. With Katherine Kavanagh locked away in that country club he felt he could finally breathe. "What about this Olyphant woman?" He asked.

"I'm afraid even if it weren't for her constant snooping, she'd still have to go. Thomas is leaving, and he was the only reason Stella still had a job. The man is beyond difficult, and you found that out when Stella wasn't around. Those two worked well together, but with Thomas gone as of yesterday, I have nowhere to put Stella. I can't find a single person that will take her as an assistant. We have two assistants posts to fill and yet they'd all rather we looked outside the company." SIP was big on promoting from within.

"Your retention rate must be quite high." Christian knew that same policy of promoting within kept their retention rate in the ninety percent plus range.

"Yeah, we were at ninety-two percent until Jack fired seven assistants within a year." Elizabeth was not happy.

"You can't deny they had to go," Jack argued.

"No, but I can still be pissed off about it." She retorted.

"I for one can't say I'm not glad for their firing, I have a job because of it," Ana teased as Elizabeth playfully glared at her.

"You can't promote all that often." Christian wondered as SIP was a relatively small publishing house compared to most.

"We do, since buying SIP we have grown with every passing year. I just bought the building across the road" Jack smiled at the look of shock on Ana's face. "Yeah, we need that much space. Hell, Ana, you should have an office of your own as a junior editor."

"But I am still your assistant," Ana argued.

"Not for long. Right now you don't have that much to do with Boyce's book as he still working on your suggestions, but in a couple of months when final edits start you will realize just how much you have to do in a small amount of time. Usually, you are doing that for three to four books, but it's easier when you are looking at fonts, ink, paper, and graphics for all of them at the same time. Of course, you always get that one difficult author that just can't make up their mind or worse keeps changing their mind. Word of advice, when they've made a decision, and the work has started, there is no going back. Always drive that point home..."

"So they can't say they weren't aware of that." Ana finished.

"Precisely." Jack praised.

"Are you selling the current building?" Christian inquired.

"Yes, I can't afford to keep it right now."

"Why not rent it out. You've got four floors, rent it out as individual floors instead of as a whole. You will always have income that way. There is always the option of an investor." Christian said with a wry smile. He'd be more than happy to invest, especially with SIP owning their printing press.

"Thanks, but I just don't like the idea of having to answer to someone else." Jack had to admit the idea of having an investor like GEH was appealing. SIP could be nationwide in two to three years.

"I'm not the micromanaging type. You have a successful business that is why someone would want to invest in its growth, so why then come in and start dictating how things are done. You will continue to run your business as you have, but with an investment that allows you to grow faster and expand if that is the dream. Think about it." Jack would admit the offer was tempting, but yeah, he and Elizabeth would have to sit down and talk about it. They hadn't expected this type of growth for a few more years where they could leave the kids if the need for travel arises as they would be older by then.

"Thanks, we will talk it over." Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

* * *

"You haven't said anything about my offer to Jack." Truth be told, he had no idea how she felt about it. He had expected her to say something on the drive home.

"It's got nothing to do with me. It's a business deal, and everyone understands that, so I hope it works out. Friendship and money, bedfellows they do not make."

"I respect Jack not only because he's your boss, or that it's thanks to him and Elizabeth that we are here, but because of his business acumen. What he has done with SIP is nothing short of genius. If there is one friend I can have a business deal with and not worry about it impacting our friendship, it's Jack Hyde."

"Okay, then I hope they accept your offer, it would be great for SIP." She fluffed up her pillow and fell back on it with a sigh.

"I love you." He couldn't keep the hunger out of his voice. Ana's eyes snapped open, and she stared at him, she swallowed a moan at his look of want.

"I love you too." She whispered. "I didn't realize you were that worried about Kate," Ana murmured as her lips brushed over his.

"Not her per se, more the danger she posed to you." His fingers gripped her hips, pulling her closer to him.

"Kate is not one for physical confrontation, which I believe makes her more dangerous. She is the type to hurt you when you are not there." That fact only occurred to her a few hours ago when Christian informed her of Kate's rehab stay. In truth, she had avoided thinking of the danger Kate posed. Like Christian feared for her, she feared for him. Obsessive love could so quickly turn to hate.

"You mean loosening the stitching in someone's cheerleading uniform." Christian murmured as Ana's fingers ghosted over his bare chest.

"Worse, despite my never feeling the need to look over my shoulder, I know just how vindictive Kate can be. I don't believe she would ever come after me, I'm not worth it in her eyes...

"But I am." Christian finished. "Here I am worried about you, and you are worried about me. Well, now we can both stop worrying... for a while at least." He pulled her on top of him and lost himself in her.


	22. Chapter 22

_**OCTOBER 1989**_

"_Ella?" She looked up from her book, and for a second, wondered if she could escape without talking to him. Scott Davies had damn near ruined her life. Looking at him, she would admit, he was still very good looking, but it had no effect on her. There was a time his very presence rendered her weak. She never thought it would be possible to look at him and feel nothing, but that was precisely how she felt. "Wow, Ella Richardson..." He had a look she knew well. _

"_Scott." She said impassively bringing his eyes back to her face. _

"_I am shocked to see you here." He was behaving as though they were old friends who had lost touch. _

"_Likewise." She muttered marking the page of her book before shutting it. _

"_The team is here playing Harvard tomorrow night." He said proudly._

"_Did you take a gap year or two?" He looked confused. "If my math is correct, and it is, you should have graduated by now." She clarified._

"_Oh, right, yes. I did. I'm now on the coaching staff." He didn't sound too happy about that development._

"_Thought you'd be playing in the NFL." She said although she couldn't care less what he was or wasn't doing. _

"_My knee went in my senior year, and I never fully recovered. Dreams of playing in the NFL blown." His voice trailed off at the end. "So what are you doing here?" He quickly recovered._

"_I live here. I'm currently attending Harvard studying for my masters in mathematics." His jaw dropped. He knew she was clever, after all, she tutored him in math, but this was beyond anything he imagined. _

"_See." He chuckled, slamming his hand on the table. "Had you kept the baby, you sure as hell wouldn't be at Harvard now, would you. I told you I was doing you a favor." He looked so fucking proud of himself for the first time seeing him she wanted to hit him. She wanted to break his fucking nose and more. _

"_My self-esteem was nonexistent back then that is why I fell for your bullshit, but even now I find myself wondering just how stupid I must have been as well to have ever gone with your stupid ass. I mean how fucking clichéd; fall for the charms of the football star I was tutoring. You knew nothing then, and you know nothing now. He's a boy, not that you care. Yes, I had him and thanks to some wonderful people I finished high school, I went to college, even managed to graduate in three years, and now studying for my masters."_

"_Wow," Scott muttered lowly. "I..." _

"_Mommy." Scott was taken aback by the smile that suddenly lit up Ella's face. "Mommy, look what daddy got me." It was an RC remote control racing car. _

"_Did he now." Her smile turned into a glare as she looked up at William. They had both said no to the toy when Christian asked months ago simply because Elliot had one._

"_Okay, I know what we said, but baby, you should have seen his face when we drove past __Toys "R" Us. Those gray eyes had me, I'm sorry." She looked down at her beaming son and gave in. Yep, she would have caved too. _

"_I wondered why you were late picking me up." She muttered as she grabbed her book and bag. _

"_Ella." To her surprise, she had forgotten all about Scott Davies. William finally noticed the man; he didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know who he was. Christian wasn't the spitting image of him, but very close. Christian had his facial structure and hair, but his eyes, nose, and mouth were all Ella's. _

"_What?" Ella asked. Surely he didn't expect her to introduce Christian to him, did he?_

"_Nothing, good seeing you. Take care." William opened the door for Ella as always. Elliot catching her up on his day as they walked to the car. William turned around to find the sperm donor watching Christian as he animatedly told his mother the story of their day out._

_Ella had never spoken about Scott Davies, and William had only ever asked once and hadn't gotten an answer. But it was apparent he was eager to know about him, but he couldn't do it with Christian in the car. At five, the boy was rather astute, and he didn't want to start a conversation that would create confusion they couldn't explain. So he had to patiently wait until they got home. Looking at Christian, he knew that when they got back home, he would have to wait. There was an RC car to set up and play with first. _

_Ella couldn't help her giggle as she watched her two men. William gave her a questioning look. "It's nothing." She chuckled, looking out the window. Her two impatient men were sorely tested today._

* * *

"_So he was who I thought he was." William finally asked. _

"_Yeah, Scott Davies, quarterback, and star of the football team, and it wasn't just hype, average intelligence though, hence the need for a math tutor. He was managing in every other class, but math was kicking his ass, and well, math came easy to me. I'd never tutored anyone before, and I was asked... no, begged, pleaded with to tutor him. So like the good girl who couldn't say boo to a mouse, I agreed to tutor him. I expected a world-class jerk, considering the stories I'd heard about him. He turned out to be anything but..." A loud bang had them running into the hallway. _

"_It didn't break." Christian blurted out before any threats of his car being taken away were made. A family portrait on the wall had fallen off the wall somehow, but miraculously the glass in the frame was intact._

"_Take it to your room, if anything is in danger of breaking it should be yours," Ella sent him to his room. "I will call you when dinner is ready."_

"_Okay." His voice trailed off as he ran to his room. _

_She took a deep breath as they headed back to the kitchen. "I didn't know what I saw when I looked in the mirror. I was intelligent, and as far as I was concerned, it was all I had going for me. I studied hard and was on track to gain a scholarship. He was kind, and not just kind to my face... before I knew it, I had people who had never said a word to me in three years saying hello. Within a week, other girls started talking to me, inviting me to go shopping with them. I didn't know he was responsible for all that, I later found out from one of the girls that it was his doing. Don't' get me wrong I wasn't some loner, I had friends, quite a few actually, but we were the geeks, teacher's pet. We weren't the kids that got invited to parties, but all of a sudden, I am one of those cool kids. I wasn't stupid enough to abandon my friends for them, but I didn't shy away from the attention either. I didn't see it coming, it was slow, it was subtle, but before I knew it I was head over heels for Scott Davies, and to my shock, he felt the same or so he said. He asked me to go to prom with him, keep in mind he was a senior, and I was a junior. By this point, we were heavily making out, and I was ready to take things all the way. So yeah, it happened as expected after prom. It wasn't a horror show; it was rather pleasant if not somewhat boring. But he still managed to knock me up. _

_I told him a couple of weeks before he left for college. He told me to get rid of it, as he wasn't about to throw it all away for a baby. I never saw or heard from him after that."_

"_How do you feel about seeing him today?" William asked._

"_Conflicted." William didn't like that one bit, and she could see it. "Because as much as my actions with him nearly ruined my life, it also gave me Christian." She was quick to explain. William nodded in understanding. "I... regret Scott, but at the same time, how could I."_

"_Yeah, conflicted explains that to a tee." William murmured. _

"_The very things that led me here with you started with him. Had Scott not entered my life, would I be here with you or somewhere else with someone else. _

_Seeing him today, reaffirmed what I have always believed, he means nothing to me. I look at Christian, and as much as he looks like Scott, he doesn't register... I'm not explaining myself well." She sighed._

"_No, I understand. It is expected that when you look at Christian, that you are reminded of a time you would rather forget. You are expected to love your kid, but loathe part of his DNA. But you don't, you don't punish your kid for the sins of his father. You should not be conflicted about that, you should be proud for feeling that way now, and not in twenty years when you finally realize, oh... he's his own man. You recognize that now. _

_Nature as far as I'm concerned is his hair and facial structure; the rest is nurture, that's all us. He is my son, I was there the first time we heard his heartbeat. I was there the first time that boy kicked. I was there the first time one of his kicks nearly had you doubling over. I was there when we first learned he was a boy. I was there when he came into the world. I held him before he'd even opened his eyes. I named him, he is my son, and very soon he will be my son in the eyes of the law as well. I am his father. Thanks for telling, but you are right in what you said the first time I asked about Scott. He is inconsequential to our lives." _

"_Okay." Was all Ella could manage. _

"_Now, any chance we could get some garlic bread with that mac 'n' cheese."_

"_We don't have any, you and Christian finished the last one two nights ago." Ella retorted._

"_I can pop to the store and pick some up." _

"_Sure, why not." It was pointless to argue as he'd spend the rest of the night pouting and get Christian involved as well. _

"_Chris, I'm going to the store, want to come?"_

"_Yeah." Christian was down the stairs in a heartbeat. _

"_Oh, get me a bottle of wine," Ella shouted after them._

"_Okay." Both her men answered at the same time. Indeed, Scott Davies was didn't factor in their lives._

* * *

"Thank you, Gail, I've got it from here." He couldn't cook to save his life, but he could plate the food. He was capable of that much when it came to serving Anastasia breakfast in bed. Unfortunately, he could only do that on the weekends, but at least this time it was a Wednesday. They had both taken the week off but decided to stay in the city.

Anastasia had felt guilty about Gail cooking breakfast on the weekends as she was off had taken to waking up early to beat her to it, unfortunately for Anastasia, she wasn't much of a morning person, and Gail always beat her to the kitchen. She quickly realized it was a losing battle and gave up any attempt at waking up early on the weekends.

"Alright," Gail said as she left him to it. Had attempts to learn, but Gail had eventually thrown in the towel.

"Thank you, again." He murmured absentmindedly as he plated Ana's food of scrambled eggs, bacon, cherry tomatoes and toast with a cup of hot water and a bag of English breakfast tea on the side. He grabbed the tray with care and slowly walked to the door using his elbow to open the bedroom door. He had once tried to hold the tray one-handed to open the door, that ended in disaster. He sometimes wonders what possessed him to think he had the skill to hold the tray one-handed.

"You do realize the day you stop bringing me breakfast in bed we are going to couple's therapy." Ana quipped.

"Well, I had to get you to move in with me somehow. The minute I'm sure you are not going to bolt; I will admit breakfast in bed might become a rare thing." He admitted truthfully.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I'm not going to bolt. I no longer have my apartment, and even if I did... it's about moving forward, not backward." She had no idea what that meant to him.

"Anyway, it is an occasion, a day to celebrate." She found his good mood infectious.

"What are we celebrating?" She asked as she cut a piece of bacon.

"We met a year today."

"Christian, no one celebrates that." She chuckled.

"We could turn it into another celebration." He edged.

"Like what? Our wedding anniversary," Ana teased.

"Well, I'd have to ask you first." He didn't give her a chance to think about it before he placed a ring in front of her. In the last year, he'd bought her enough jewelry for her to know the ring was from Harry Winston.

"I... I... " The words just wouldn't come, so she kept her mouth shut and waited for him.

"I don't have the words to describe the seismic shift in me the day you fell into my office. Just when I thought I'd found my center, you'd say and do something that shifts it again. I was thrown about in ways I didn't think possible, and in the end, I acted out in fear and this stupid need to hang onto my freedom that I almost lost whatever chance I might have had with you. Working to earn your affection was an eye-opener; it was when I knew you were it. Nothing and no one will take you away from me... I know that now. I love you and would hope you will one day want me as your husband. Anastasia Rose Steele, will you marry me?" He was sat across from her, legs crossed in a meditative pose. Of course, the idea of being on one knee would cross his mind when they told their family later in the week,

Yes." She whispered. Ana wanted to say more, but words failed her at the moment. With a beaming smile, he slipped the ring onto her finger.

"I never told you this, but a year ago today, I woke up in my childhood bedroom, or rather mom woke me up. See I had no intention of going to work that day despite the interview I'd arranged with Kavanagh. Mom insisted I go, insisted it was good to have Kenneth Kavanagh owe me one. Then she brought up the subject of my personal life or lack of a real one. She was desperate for me to settle down, find someone. I told her I would when I found the right woman, believing it would never happen. Then you happened, and I couldn't be happier." He ran his finger over the classic solitaire ring it was elegant and yet managed to be simplistic.

"I usually know when you are about to drop a bombshell." She whispered, unable to think of anything else.

"I had initially thought dinner would be the best setting, but I knew I couldn't go the whole day without making you suspicious." When it came to Anastasia, he wasn't very good at hiding, especially his emotions.

"I think you would have still managed to surprise me. I didn't expect this at all." Her fingers joined his in admiring her ring.

"You didn't?"

"I didn't think it was something that would happen anytime soon." She gave him a sheepish look then shrugged.

"I bought the ring five months ago... actually I got it five months ago, but commissioned it two months earlier." Her jaw dropped. "Yeah, believe me, I have been on tenterhooks..." He laughed when he recalled the night he asked her to move in with him. "On New Year's eve when I asked you to move in with me. I almost asked you to marry me then, but then I chickened out and asked you to move in instead. Then there was Valentine's Day, and not forgetting the fishing trip with the family in Montana." Ana just stared, then cracked up laughing. "I asked Ray for your hand during Thanksgiving."

"I knew you were up to something on each of those occasions ... you always came up with some grand gesture, so I didn't think much of it."

"I feared you would say no." It was his turn to look sheepish. "Finish your breakfast, we have to buy Boyce's new book." She rolled her eyes at the suggestion.

"I already have a copy, a signed one at that."

"Yeah, but I want to contribute to my fiancée's success." He couldn't help his smile. Life was just downright perfect. He stole a piece of her bacon before disappearing out of the door. Despite taking the week off, he still had a little work to do.

Taylor was in the office the minute he was done with his emails. "What's new?"

"Nothing has changed. Katherine Kavanagh is still filling out applications for jobs in New York. She turned down the job offers from Denver, Houston, and Phoenix. She is still determined to get a job in New York.

"Thank you." With a nod, Taylor left him to his thoughts.

As much as he appreciated Kavanagh's need to get out of Seattle, he also didn't want her in New York. It was his second base of operations. He had a home there and had plans to take Anastasia there for a long break in September for her birthday. Kavanagh living in New York would not work for them. He was well aware of the fact that she could decide to make the move without a job offer as she had a substantial trust fund.

* * *

They walked hand in hand to the nearest bookstore as Christian insisted on buying Boyce Fox's new book. His pride in Anastasia surpassed any he had ever felt for his own achievements. Her first book as an editor and he was determined to purchase a copy. "They only have one copy left." He beamed at her, earning an eye roll in return. Boyce's book was currently on the number three spot on the New York best sellers list. According to tracking he will be on the top spot by the end of the week, knocking another SIP author of the top list.

"You only wanted a copy you have it." Ana was relieved there was only one as she was sure Christian would have emptied the shelves of all copies.

"It's your first book as an editor, I have every right to be acting as proud as a peacock." She couldn't help her giggle when he did a flying motion.

"Do you even have time to read it?"

"Got the week off, I'm sure I will find time to read it. There are several hours in the day when you are asleep. This book will occupy those hours." She nodded as it was true. Christian loved late nights and early morning. Of course, he also had days when getting him out of bed was not easy.

"I didn't have breakfast." He rubbed his stomach. " I could really get into some seafood."

"Sure, why not." With the restaurant in question not far from their current location, they continued their walk. Palisade was a restaurant where booking a reservation was a requirement, but GEH had enough private and public functions there to merit him just walking in and getting a table.

They were shown to a corner booth. "I'm sure you will not mind the couple that joins you." Next to their table of two, was a table of four. Neither he nor Ana thought anything of the comment. "Why don't you order the surf and turf and I will order..."He started.

"Nope, I am not doing that with you... never again." His idea of equal portions left a lot to be desired.

"I can't eat both." He argued.

"Yes, you can, so order both because I want the Seafood Louie."

"Can I try..." He didn't finish.

"No." He put her menu down and glared at him. "Why is it that every time we dine out you... and now you are looking over my head." She groused.

"No, look." She looked behind her to find his parents and his aunt and uncle heading towards them.

"Shit," Ana murmured.

"Yeah, hide it." Ana pulled the ring off her finger and stuffed it into a small compartment in her purse. The two stared at each other and cracked up laughing.

"Ana, Christian, what a lovely surprise."

"Hey guys," Ana greeted with a small wave. The four were seated at the table next to them, the waiter's comment finally made sense.

"It is unexpected," Ella said with a smile.

"I wanted to purchase a copy of Anastasia's first editing job... it then led to lunch." He said with a shrug.

"Oh yes, I just finished reading it. To think it was a book that was first rejected before you got your hands on it." Grace praised. "I have told everyone who would listen about it. Can't wait for the next one." It was no surprise Grace had spread the word; between her and Mia nothing stayed a secret for long.

Had it been just his parents, he would have had no problem telling them about his engagement, but aunt Grace could not be trusted to keep their engagement a secret. She'd promise not to say anything but before you know it the whole of Seattle would be in on the secret. They just weren't ready to let the world know just yet.

* * *

AN: Next chapter will cover Kate waking up in a rehab facility and then her release. Of course, her reaction to the engagement and how she handles it. Does she move to New York to avoid it all or does she let her hatred get the better of her? CJ.


	23. Chapter 23

Katherine Kavanagh could feel her head throbbing painfully before she slowly opened her eyes. Her mouth was so dry her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. It felt like a hangover, it was nothing new. Since her public embarrassment, waking up with a hangover was the norm. It took her a few minutes to realize her surrounding was alien to her. It was beautifully decorated, there was a faux antique sideboard on either side of her bed, and sitting on top was a large lamp that matched the décor of the sideboard. The entire room had the same silver and black motif on almost everything.

The glass wall led to a sliding door that led to a small balcony. The sun was shining brightly, a little too brightly for Seattle.

A small part of her wanted to believe she was in her hotel room in Florida, and Ethan was more than likely next door. A big part of her brain though remembered the pinprick she felt before passing out. Kate had been drugged that much she was sure off, but the why was what eluded her. She slowly got out of bed and walked over to the glass wall just as a knock came.

"Come in." She croaked roughly then cleared her throat. It was too dry.

"Good Afternoon, Miss Kavanagh, I have a glass of water for you." The woman in question walked over to the small sitting area and placed a large jug of water with a small drinking glass on the small side table. As she stood, Kate got a good look at her uniform and let out a sigh. "The doctor will be in to see you in a few minutes." The woman said realizing Kate understood where she was. "You can order lunch through the phone system. We have an extensive menu. I'd be surprised if you repeat a meal while you are with us." Kate had been rendered mute not by the woman or where she was, but by her brother's betrayal. He had tricked her into signing those papers, and now she was sure she had committed herself to a rehab facility or be it one of the most expensive rehab facilities in the world.

Ten minutes later, she was back in bed, looking at the bright blue sky when another knock came. "Come in." She stayed in bed watching the sky as the odd little cloud made its way across.

"Good afternoon, Miss Kavanagh, I am Dr. Bentley, I am one of the psychiatrists of this facility, and I will also be the lead doctor on your case."

"And what is my case," Kate asked her eyes still glued to the sky as the small cloud slowly dissipated, the heat of the sun too much for it to survive any longer.

"I understand you have developed an unhealthy obsession with a..." The doctor had to look at his notes. "Christian Grey, and even went as far as publicly humiliating yourself." Kate shut her eyes and took a deep breath. "I was also informed that your brother found you surrounded by empty bottles of alcohol with more in your kitchen cabinets." He waited for Kate to answer, but she stayed quiet.

The doctor continued to talk, but Kate had by this point tuned him out. She didn't have a problem. She had been in love with Christian Grey for years, and they all expected her to get over him in a few months because he found himself a virgin. No, Christian Grey would soon be single again; Ana was a fleeting fascination that would soon pass. There was no way Anastasia Steele could be better than her, live a better life than her. Ana would not have the man Kate had worked so hard to get. "I do not have a problem with alcohol, it was a momentary lapse in judgment." Kate finally spoke, having decided to play their game. She wasn't going anywhere, and this wasn't a bad place to find yourself confined to.

"And Christian Grey?"

"I have wanted that man since I was old enough to know what having a crush was. I know it will take time to get over the dreams I had for years, dreams of spending my life with him. I sent a friend to interview him thinking he wouldn't take one look at her and he did just that. So yeah, I am bitter that the girl who didn't care to know who he was, is the one enjoying his attention for however long it lasts." That was what they wanted to hear, so that is what she would give them.

"That is a start." Dr. Bentley said. He spent another ten minutes explaining things, not that Kate paid much attention to any of that. None of that mattered to her. All she could think about was having a drink, but that wasn't going to happen.

Dr. Bentley walked out of Kate's room shaking his head. He had seen it all so many times before, the young men and women whose parents threatened to cut them off if they didn't go into rehab who then came there saying what they thought the doctors wanted to hear. Katherine Kavanagh was no different, she was going to say and do what was expected of her and walk out after six months no better than when she arrived and there was nothing he could do about it.

And for six that was what Kate did. She had her daily session with Dr. Bentley. Said and did all the right things, but in truth, she didn't mean a word of it. "She is tenacious, I will give her that." Dr. Ash said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, to the detriment of everything else." Dr. Bentley replied. He seen many patients do what Katherine Kavanagh was doing, but most at some point actually recognized they had a problem and made an effort to get better. Not Katherine, she had for six months just done what was expected of her and was now on her way home. Bentley watched her car until it disappeared from sight. Katherine thought she had fooled them all, but in reality, she would soon learn she was the fool. Christian Grey had used her stalking and harassment to get a court order ordering the facility to give him a progress report on how well the girl was doing. Well, his report was simple; nothing has changed. Katherine Kavanagh did not believe she had a problem and simply enjoyed the facility's hospitality for six months and left. "Good luck, young lady, you are going to need it." He murmured as he walked back into the building.

* * *

"You tricked me into signing papers that kept me there for six months. Then I was drugged and woke up there wondering what the hell had happened." Kate was so incensed she didn't care about drawing attention to them.

"You were going whether you like it or not," Ethan responded flippantly. "Dad was ready to take the apartment, your car, your job, and the trust fund if you refused. My way meant you got to keep your job and a roof over your head. How about showing a little gratitude. If you had any idea what dad had already planned you'd be on your fucking knees thanking me." He stormed away from her then, leaving her looking stunned with her mouth ajar.

The flight home was done in silence, which wasn't difficult due to Ethan having changed seats to sit well away from his ungrateful brat of a sister. The minute he laid eyes on her, he knew rehab had been a waste of time. It barely took her twenty minutes for her to prove it. He also hadn't missed her getting out her phone and googling Christian Grey. Apart from a few pictures of him and Ana, the rest was business news, he'd already checked. Ethan was done; he had already transferred his trust fund to another account, his gift for helping get Kate into rehab. The stipulations on their trust fund meant their dad had control over it until they turned twenty-five. He had been accepted into the Ph.D. program at Queens College, and the minute they arrived at Seattle, he was headed straight home packed and back to the airport for the next available flight to London. With his mind made up about his future, Ethan felt good about himself for the first time in years. It was about time he moved away from the craziness that was his family. Ethan just wished he could convince his mother to go with him if only for a few months. He knew if he could get away from everything, she might just see that there was more to life than Kenneth Kavanagh and his obsession with money and power. He shut his eyes for the rest of the flight and did his best not to think about the cluster fuck that was his family.

When Kate arrived at her apartment, her father was sat on the couch waiting for her. "Sit down." He ordered.

"Hello, daddy." She said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"I don't have a lot of time, so I will get straight to the point. I am complicit in this as much as you are. I hope you have reached the same place I have. The Grey's are off-limit in every way imaginable. Am I making myself clear."

"Yes, he was never mine to begin with and never will be. Whether his future is with Ana or not, it is none of my business. My only regret is my loss of friendship with Ana."

"Yes, Ana will be missed, but like you said her future might not be with Grey, then maybe you two could find your way back to each other." Kenneth smiled, ruffling his daughter's hair.

"Dad quit it." Those words brought a smile to both their faces. The moment brought back memories from yesteryear.

"I have to get back to work, but why don't I swing by after and we can go to dinner at Canlis."

"I'd really like that." Kate beamed.

"Welcome home, Katie," Kenneth said as he left the apartment with a spring in his step. All was well in the world again.

As Kate watched her father get into the elevator, she found herself weighing up the options she had. It was time to get out of Seattle, yes Christian Grey would always be a prize worth winning, but right now, it wasn't possible. She would one day come back to Seattle and then she'd be the prize he would go to the ends of the earth to win. With a plan firmly in place, Kate took her case to the room to unpack. She never even wore most of the clothes she packed, but she dumped them all in the laundry basket. The apartment needed a thorough clean, but Kate wasn't up to the task. She called the cleaning service her mother used and had them come clean the apartment.

For the next month, Kate Kavanagh appeared to be a new woman. She spent a great deal of time with her father, as Ethan and her mother were both in London. She even managed to date a couple of guys. Her turn at the benefit gala was largely forgotten, and those that did remember weren't people she didn't care to know or impress. Kate Kavanagh was back; the only downside was she had several job offers from around the country except for the one place she wanted to go the most. But that would be a thing of the past. After talking to her father and coming up with the idea to increase their social media presence. Her father had given her the job, a job she could do from anywhere in the world. In a week, Kate Kavanagh was moving to New York City, and there she would make herself the queen of social media. A media that meant no matter where she was in the world, Christian Grey would always see her.

In a week, her life would be on the verge of perfection. But a lot can happen in seven days as Kate would soon learn.

* * *

"Hey, Kyle." Kate greeted cheerfully.

"Katherine Kavanagh," Kyle shook his head in disbelief. Of all the people he expected to hear from she wasn't one of them. He remembered her humiliating turn at a benefit gala a few months ago but wisely kept quiet. Truth be told, he only knew it was about Christian Grey and Ana, but why Kate had lost it over them was a mystery. "I have to tell you... I was surprised to get your call. Hell, how did you know where to find me?"

"I saw your name on a byline on the Noz website." She admitted. She read the Noz, as much as most of what they wrote was trash, one could pick out the truth in the bullshit if they knew how the news business worked. The best lies were peppered with facts.

"So, what can I do for you?" Without a word, she pushed the small tape his way.

"Remember the interview Ana did with Grey." Kyle nodded. "Let's just say the best part didn't make the cut." He sat up straight, this time she had his attention.

"What's on there?" He whispered as his throat felt raw all of a sudden.

"The real Christian Grey. This is the break you've been looking for. Hell, you don't have to give it to the Noz, you can sell this for a lot of money." Kyle smiled in a way he hadn't in a year. He hated his job at the Noz, but at the time he had no choice. His mother's medical insurance only covered fifty percent of the cost of her medication. He was forced to take the first available job out of college. Kyle knew the likelihood of finding a job with a reputable publication after working for The Seattle Noz was zero to none. Kyle had lost all credibility and was therefore stuck at the Noz. This was indeed the break he'd been looking for. Unfortunately for Katherine Kavanagh, Kyle Whittaker had something entirely different in mind.

Kyle was prepared to wait weeks before he got in front of Christian Grey, so he was beyond surprised when he called three days after his meeting with Katherine to find he had an immediate appointment with Christian Grey. In fact, he'd only waited so long to attempt to get an appointment because his mother's health had taken a turn for the worse and he had been forced to fly home to Nevada.

He was surprised to find himself waiting at Escala instead of Grey House. "Hey, Kyle," Ana greeted with a warm smile. She had breathed a sigh of relief when Kyle had called Grey House hoping for an appointment with Christian, instead of publishing the tape Kate gave him. Christian had kept an eye on Kate since she got home from Rehab and was aware of her every move. Her meeting with Kyle Whittaker was no secret to him and his security team. In fact, Christian was going to make Kyle an offer he couldn't refuse for the tape. His respect for the young man grew when he ended up calling Grey House after visiting his mother.

"Anastasia Steele, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." He quickly got up hugging her, she was part of the reason he had chosen this path. He'd had a crush on her at college, but Kate had told him she didn't date when he'd asked about her. In truth, he saw it for himself, she never dated the four years they were at college together, at least to his knowledge. "To think I'd be standing in your position had I been available for that interview." He quipped, earning a giggle from Ana.

"Well, I'm grateful you weren't available." She returned. "I can't tell you how happy I am you made this decision." Kyle's eyes damn near fell out of its socket.

"You know?"

"Yes, Kate has been a problem for a while now, and well Christian wasn't going to take any chances. You are one of many she tried using to get to us. Some got to us, but still failed... you'd think she'd learn. For a while there it seemed she did, but the minute news of our engagement became public she went back to her old vindictive self. She contacted you ten minutes after the news broke." Ana couldn't help but be saddened by the route her former friend had chosen to take.

"I mean I remember the benefit thing, but wasn't sure why she had it out for you... I had other things on my mind." Kyle had no knowledge of Kate's obsession with Christian.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mom," Ana said sympathetically. "Anyway, it will soon be a thing of the past." She smiled at his confused look. "Come, Christian is waiting for you." Kyle looked a little terrified. "He's a pussycat in reality."

"Yeah, to you maybe," Kyle muttered wiping his sweaty palms on his trousers. The man scared the living shit out of everyone at the Noz, and for a good reason. Christian Grey protected his privacy fiercely, and he led a life that made it impossible to write anything about him, as there was nothing to write.

Kyle's nerves only got worse when he entered Christian's private office. The first thing Kyle noticed the floor to ceiling window. The man himself was standing in front of it as he issued orders on the phone. Ana settled herself on the couch, as Kyle still stood unsure what to do with himself. Ana rolled her eyes at him before beckoning him to sit in the chair in front of Christian's desk. Without thought, he pulled a small envelope out of his bag and placed it on the large oak desk.

Ten minutes later, Christian was finally able to get off the phone, "Mr. Whittaker." Christian shook his hands firmly.

"Mr. Grey, thanks for seeing me so soon." He managed, though his voice shook slightly.

"Relax, Mr. Whittaker, it's a wonderful day," Ana giggled, but quickly slapped her hand over her mouth.

"Sorry." She muttered.

Christian cleared his throat." As I was saying, it's a good day. Anastasia told me your story and asked me to give you a chance. She was adamant you would do the right thing. She has questionable judgment when it comes to people, I mean look at Kavanagh and me." He teased as she rolled her eyes at him. "I am glad she was right about you."

"So am I," Ana added.

"Is this it?" He pointed to the small envelope on his desk.

"Yes," Kyle shifted in his chair. Christian ripped opened the envelope and dropped the small tape in his palm. He put the tape into a recorder and hit the play button. Hearing Ana ask the first question and his answer, he switched it off.

"That's the tape." He looked over at Ana. "I mean that's the original tape." She clarified remembering what the blue and white tape looked like.

"It is," Kyle confirmed. "She blew up my phone yesterday while I was with my mom. I was so pissed; I told her to find someone else. She said I had the only copy and asked me to return it."

"Good." Christian knew he and Ana would have weathered whatever storm the tape caused. He wasn't ignorant to how much of an asshole he sounded on that tape. GEH would have taken the biggest hit. The whole family appeal his company held meant so much to so many people. He was currently in the middle of an acquisition simply because old man Patterson had chosen GEH because he was engaged to Anastasia. The man went on and on about the joys of marriage for over an hour then ended it with saying GEH could have his company. Hell, they had a dinner date with Patterson that night. His reputation would have taken a hit if the tape came out, but what worried him above all else was the grief it would have caused Anastasia. She had after all, revealed she was a virgin on that tape. Such things should not be made public.

Christian dropped an envelope in front of Kyle. You have a job offer from one of the country's top publications. There are also details of your mother's new insurance policy; she just needs to sign it. And here is a check for a hundred thousand dollars that should make your relocation to California a little easier. I'm afraid the best doctor for your mother's cancer is in California. The minute her insurance policy kicks in your mother's care will fall to him. The policy is covered by GEH in perpetuity. My thanks for this... anyway as you heard for yourself, I didn't come off very well on that tape" Christian muttered as he checked a message on his phone.

Kyle shrugged. "I have no idea what is on that tape, aside from the interview I read." It hadn't even occurred to him to listen. "Thank you, Mr. Grey. I was hoping for a job, but this is so much more than I could have ever expected." Kyle just couldn't believe his luck.

"Oh, I need you to do one more thing for me," Christian said with a smile that sent a shiver down Kyle's spine.


	24. Chapter 24

A week, seven fucking days, and she would have been so far away, Christian Grey might have eventually become a distant memory. The likes of him were a dime a dozen in New York. She could have been a new person, a new woman, the kind men coveted, and the kind they didn't shun because she had a past. No, she could have been the Anastasia fucking Steele of New York without the pretend naivety.

That was another thing she had come to realize, Ana wasn't as naïve as Kate had thought. She underestimated the girl to such an extent that Kate had no real idea who Ana was.

She had been so self-absorbed she had missed so many clues as to the truth about her roommate. Had she any idea of the kind of woman Ana was, she would never have sent her to that interview, hideous clothes and all.

She had been having dinner at a newly opened trendy café when the news about their engagement broke. Kate had nearly had a heart attack in the café. It had been easy to pretend to move on when she believed Ana and Christian wouldn't last. Kate was so sure it was a temporary thing that the thought of them getting engaged never crossed her mind. Kate was in a state of such despair that, she trashed her bedroom in a fit of rage. How dare them, after everything they'd put her through, they also had the nerve to get engaged so soon after she'd left rehab. It was as though they waited for her to come home and fuck with her all over again. It was then that she found her old tape recorder, and she was hit with a brilliant idea. Yes, the newly engaged couple was about to be hit with a dose of fuck you and she knew just who to call or at least she thought she did.

Three days and counting and Kyle had done nothing with the tape. The day before he'd told her to fuck off and find someone else. Well, even if she could, he had the only copy, and she wasn't tech-savvy enough to make another. She had been furiously checking the news to see if any news about the tape broke, but so far nothing. She was focused on her laptop, she jumped when a knock came. With a groan, she yanked the door open and would have kicked herself if she could for opening the door without checking. Hell, she'd spent six months in rehab because she signed a document without reading it first. "Pizza... for Kate."

"Yep." She answered, giving him a twenty. "Keep the change." He handed her a large pizza and turned on his heels. She settled on the couch and switched the TV on; her laptop was opened next to her checking news feeds. She was about to take the first bite when her phone rang, seeing as it was the man in question she quickly answered the phone dropping her slice back in the box. "Hey Kyle, look I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't know you were with your mother." She got out quickly.

"Nah, I was just as bad. Anyway, I called to tell you I sold the tape."

"Whatever works best for you." She said with a smile.

"I'm glad you think so." Kyle murmured.

"So whom did you sell it to?" she sat back down behind her computer ready to type in whatever outlet he was going to mention.

"Christian Grey." For a second, she wasn't sure she heard him right, but then he kept speaking. "Like you said I could sell it for a lot of money, so I decided to sell it to the one it would mean the most to." Kate was sure she was having a heart attack. Kyle Whittaker had fucked her over without knowing, or so she thought.

"Did you tell him I gave it to you?"

"No, what do you take me for." Kate violently released the breath she'd been holding in relief.

"What did you tell him?"

"I told him I found it in a box of my stuff from the student paper." She nodded, even though he couldn't see her.

"Well, good for you. I've got to go, I will speak to you later." She hanged up and stood there in shock for a good while. Then in anger, she hurled the phone across the room. Kyle Whittaker had taken away her one chance at revenge and made money from it. She could just as easily had put it in the post and sent it directly to the Noz. "Kyle Whittaker, you fucking bastard." She dropped down on the floor and started crying. She knew everything she'd convinced herself of was bullshit. There was no getting over Christian Grey, no matter the distance between them. This wasn't really about revenge; this was her hoping to drive a wedge between him and Ana. This was her one chance to embarrass Ana. To have people doubting the sincerity of their relationship due to the content of the tape. Making it clear to the world why Christian went after Ana. This was her last chance to show Ana that she didn't belong in that world. It was over. It was time to get as far away from Seattle as she quickly could. Unbeknownst to Kate, that realization had come a little too late.

* * *

"Thank you, Kyle." Christian stood, shaking his hand. "And..." Christian asked.

"I am not available due to my mother's illness and treatment. " Kyle reiterated.

"Excellent." Christian smiled before getting his phone out.

"I will walk you out," Ana said as she left Christian to his phone calls.

"What was that about?" Kyle whispered as Ana walked him to the elevator.

"He doesn't want to give Kate and especially her father a heads up. As for the lawsuit, he wants to drag it out. You are a vital witness with personal issues that the court will recognize. If you can't make a trial date, then you can't make it, and for a good reason." Ana answered as Kyle just stared.

"Wow, can't say I feel sorry for Kate. She's had all the advantages in the world, and she just threw it all away. At the same time, I owe her one." He was still struggling to grasp the level of Kate's stupidity. He knew Kate would call him soon about the lie he told her on the phone, but he didn't give two shits about it. He'd be long gone by tomorrow morning. "Well, Ana, I will see you soon."

"Keep in touch, let me know how your mom is doing."

"I will." They exchanged numbers before Kyle entered the elevator with a relieved smile.

"We have it all and Kavanagh is none the wiser," Ros answered as Ana walked back into the office.

"Excellent." Christian smiled. "I don't want Kavanagh Media. If you can do something with it do, or else sell it." He didn't care what happened to the company, but he cared about the employees.

"I'm sure I can think of something." He knew Ros would. She had also mentioned a friend eager to run the place.

"Good, keep me updated." He quickly moved on to making the next call. "Uncle Carrick."

"I have the paperwork ready to file," Carrick answered before he could ask.

"File it."

"Good, I will let you know when they are ready to serve. It shouldn't be more than a day if I get the right clerk."

"Thanks, Uncle Carrick."

"Your grandmother wants to know if there is something she can do to help." Both he and Ana cracked up laughing.

"I will think of something." He said through his laughter.

"Please do, she will never let it go if she doesn't play a part in Kavanagh's demise."

"Why does she hate him so much?" Christian had always wondered about that.

"Only she knows." Carrick chuckled before hanging up.

"Now for the performance of a lifetime." He winked at Ana, who was now sat on his lap.

"Kenneth, Christian Grey."

"Oh yes, Mr. Grey, to what do I owe the pleasure," Christian rolled his eyes at the simpering fool.

"Come to Grey House tomorrow, we need to talk."

"What about?" Kenneth's sudden suspicion would be heard a mile away.

"I believe I have something of yours. We can discuss my giving it back."

"Of course, of course, I will be there at ten, that is if..."

"Ten is fine. See you tomorrow." He tossed the phone on his desk with a smile.

"How do you feel about this?" Kenneth Kavanagh had been quite generous when it came to Ana. He always invited her to family holidays even though she always declined. The sentiment counted.

"You mean giving him one chance after another, and still he couldn't get Kate to toe the line. At this point, I'm beginning to think he doesn't want her to leave you alone, maybe because he believes her delusions as much as she does. I mean, why else would anyone risk their life's work." She was over the Kavanaghs and their insanity at this point. "The only way I see this ending is with her in prison or worse, dead." The very same thought had crossed Christian's mind. Watching Kate Kavanagh in the last month, one would believe she was indeed over him, despite her making no attempt to do so while in rehab. He couldn't risk her moving to New York without knowing if her behavior was as much an act as it was in rehab. They attended a charity event with her ring in full view of the media, and that did it. Katherine Kavanagh's obsession was alive and well, and right now, Christian believed more than ever that it would always be the case.

"Do you want to watch a movie... or something?" The last few days of their lives had mostly comprised of dealing with the Kavanaghs. It seemed as though every time they talked, it was mainly about the Kavanaghs. He just wanted to spent time with Anastasia without it been about someone else's stupidity.

"Okay." She said as she looked at her watch. She was sure they both had work to do, but a couple of hours just chilling would be nice as well.

"For once you pick, you groan every time I choose a film, so it's all yours." Christian chuckled but didn't argue, as he knew it was true. Elliot said he was a pretentious little shit when it came to films.

"How do you feel about foreign films?" He asked.

"Godard is one of my favorite directors actually." That surprised him. "Well, it's a toss-up between Godard and Truffaut when I think about it," Ana added absentmindedly.

"Then why do you always pick all those rubbish nineties action movies?"

"It's mindless fun, and sometimes it's all I want. Tonight, I'd rather forgo subtitles if you don't mind." She shrugged. He huffed loading the DVD player.

"Mindless fun." He grumbled as he sat next to her. Ana found his grumpiness amusing and sometimes went out of her way to make him grumpy.

Half an hour into the movie, Ana gave Christian a look. "This is what I get for asking you to pick a movie. I never thought I'd ever see Mark Rylance's cock, but there it is." Christian threw his head back in laughter. "Didn't realize we'd be watching porn," Ana mumbled.

"Okay, first, this isn't porn. Second, I doubt you'd know the name of any porn star."

"I know a name, there is that one... you know, the one with the mustache and long hair from the seventies and eighties."

"Yeah, and what's his name." Christian challenged.

"It will come to me," Ana said, waving him off as he laughed.

"Sure." He mocked.

"Doesn't change the fact that you still have me watching porn." She insisted.

"It's not porn, you clearly have never watched porn." He couldn't believe they were having a discussion about what constituted a porn movie.

"Okay, you have me watching softcore porn with great acting."

"Porn is sex with a shitty story that is there to give the actors an excuse to fuck. This is a fantastic story that has strong sexual elements."

"For your information, I have watched porn, I just couldn't stomach all the fakeness." Christian would admit he was surprised she didn't blush. "And would it kill these guys to give these women an orgasm before they decide to come all over their faces."

"I'm going to put on Rambo." He sighed. Ana couldn't help the peel of laughter that left her.

* * *

"Grandma." Christian wasn't the least bit surprised to find her there.

"Christian, it has been too long so I thought I'd come down and say hello." She gave him a hug as he shook his head in disbelief.

"Really, it had nothing to do with you calling my fiancée and eliciting the information out of her?" Carol Grey had called Ana that morning and had managed to get a lot of information out of her.

"She told you." Carol loved that. "A good woman would always give her husband a heads up. Well, she will until you annoy her, then who knows." Knowing there was no getting rid of her, he led her to his office.

"How exactly am I supposed to conduct business with my grandmother in the room?" Christian asked as he sat down behind his desk.

"Please, we are talking about Kenneth Kavanagh here." She waved away his concern.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the situation. "Would like anything to eat or drink?"

"No, dear boy, go about your business, don't mind me."

"Mr. Grey, Mr. Kavanagh, is here."

"Thank you, Andrea, send him in." He hadn't spoken a word to Kavanagh yet, and he was already fed up and tired of him and his family.

"Grandma..."

"I promise you will not even know I'm here."

"Christian, can't tell you how glad I was to get your call." Christian raised his eyebrows at the man using his first name. They weren't friends; they meant nothing to each other. "Mrs. Grey, you are looking well." He said with what appeared to be a small bow.

"Uh huh." Carol didn't bother looking up from her magazine. Christian had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing.

"Take a seat." Christian grabbed the necessary papers from his desk drawer. "I will make this quick. As of yesterday, you and I became the only shareholders of Kavanagh Media." The smile Ken had been spotting since he got the phone call disappeared.

"What do you mean you and me..."

"It was a straight forward enough statement, which part of it did you not understand." Carol Grey interjected.

"Mrs. Grey, promises were made, and I expect them to be kept. After all, It's Mr. Kavanagh's inability to keep his promises is the reason we find ourselves here." Christian said with a raised eyebrow at his grandmother.

"This cannot possibly be about Katherine. I got her help; she is the best she's ever been. She is moving out of the state for fuck sake."

"Either you are truly blind, or you are fully aware of her latest attempt and are trying to play dumb."

"He is not clever enough," Carol muttered. Both Christian and Kenneth ignored the comment.

"What did she do?"

"That is something you should ask her about." Christian returned. "This is a generous offer for your shares in Kavanagh Media."

"I'm not selling." Kenneth blustered.

"Fair enough, you can see your way out." Christian put the papers back into his desk drawer. Kenneth Kavanagh remained seated, trying to understand what just happened. "Either you leave of your own free will, or I will call someone to help you find your way out of my building." Christian threatened. He wasn't the least bit surprised the man refused to sell, but it all worked in his favor. Christian was going to use the legal system to bleed the man dry. He will eventually sell his shares in Kavanagh Media to pay off his soon to be mounting legal costs. With Christian now the decision-maker at Kavanagh Media, Kenneth couldn't use the legal department to fight the lawsuit if he tried. He just had to hold off on making Kavanagh Media anymore profitable than it was, Kenneth Kavanagh wasn't going to make money off him. In fact, by the time Kavanagh realizes he has to sell his shares, Kavanagh Media would not be worth any more than it was worth now. He was going to wish he had accepted Christian's offer. When Kenneth Kavanagh next comes begging to sell his shares, his offer would be significantly less than what he offered today. Christian looked over at his grandmother, who looked too smug for words. One day Christian would find out why she disliked the man so much.

With that, Kenneth Kavanagh slowly made his way out, his mind trying to work out where this was going. Christian had quickly given up on the idea of him selling his shares. In fact, too quickly and Kenneth couldn't work out why. The minute he stepped out of the building, he tried to call Katherine, but her phone was switched off.

"Katherine, what have you done?" He whispered.

"Kenneth Kavanagh?"

"Yes."

"You've been served." He kept his hands by his side, but the man just laughed and dropped the papers at his feet. "Look it up asshole, that counts." Kenneth didn't need to he knew it counted. With a resigned sigh, he picked it up. He opened the envelope, and the contents didn't come as much of a surprise. Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele were suing him for 100 million dollars.

Kenneth Kavanagh was about to lose everything, and the last thing he needed was to find himself facing several traffic violations, but right now he didn't care. Getting to Katherine's apartment superseded everything. Despite her not answering her phone, she opened the door looking as though she didn't have a care in the world. Before either could utter a word, her buzzer went again. "I tried calling you several times." He said, trying to keep his anger at bay until he had heard her end of the story.

"Yeah, I broke my phone." She wasn't about to admit she hurled it at the wall in a fit of rage. "I already contacted the insurance company, it will take a few days to get a new one." She said just as the doorbell rang. Ken opened the door, as he still hadn't stepped further into the apartment. He wasn't all that surprised to see the same server at Katherine's door. He barely paid attention to his presence.

"Katherine, I believe this is for you." He said through gritted teeth. She came to the door, unaware of the storm brewing.

"Katherine Kavanagh?"

"Yep."

"You are served." She, unlike her father, took the envelope.


	25. Chapter 25

"What did you do?" Kenneth sounded defeated.

"I'm leaving, he will drop the suit when I'm gone." The quivering in her voice and her shaking hands told him she didn't believe her words any more than he did. Grey was out to destroy them, and Kate moving to the ends of the world wouldn't change that.

"You don't believe that any more than I do." He said with a resigned sigh. "Christian Grey is now the majority shareholder in Kavanagh Media. I don't believe he is inclined to fund your lifestyle in New York as Kavanagh Media's social media brand ambassador or whatever it is you were planning on doing."

"He owns..." Kate's words got stuck in her throat.

"Yes, there is no job for you anymore." Anger was slowly starting to seep into his voice.

Kate looked up at her father, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm guessing the consequence of your actions has finally hit you. It's a little too late, Katherine." He sneered.

"Daddy..."

"I can't help you, Grey is suing me as well. As far as he is concerned, I am complicit in your systematic harassment and stalking of him and his fiancée. I can't even be pissed about it because it's true. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Somehow, there is defamation listed in the arm long reasons for his suit." Kenneth shrugged his coat off and tossed it aside. "You still haven't answered my question. What did you do?" He glared at Kate.

"The interview he did with Ana, he said some things to her that would have damaged his reputation had it come out." Of course, she failed to add the fact that her primary aim was to embarrass Ana.

"What news outlet did you give it to?" Kenneth shoved his hands into his pocket. It was either that or slap the shit out of his daughter.

"I didn't. It would have easily come back to me. I gave it to Kyle Whittaker we..."

"Let me guess your friend went to Grey." Kate nodded as the tears ran down her face.

"I would have done the same thing in his position. It stands to reason that Grey would pay more than anyone else to make that tape disappear." How it never occurred to Kate baffled him. Then it hit him. "They announced their engagement and every progress you made went out the window." Except, Kenneth had no idea she had made no progress in rehab. He chuckled then picked up his coat. "I can't help you. I have my own lawsuit to fight. I suggest you get a lawyer. I started this, and I will admit that, but I also warned you several times to let it go. You chose not to listen, and this is the result. I have failed you as a father, and I suppose it's time to step up, but you can't help someone who refuses to be helped."

"I don't have twenty million dollars."

"And I don't have a hundred, but here we are. You fuck up, and yet I have to pay out five times more than you do. I spent thirty-five thousand dollars a month for that facility, and for what. That was our last chance and you are either too blind or too stupid to see it." Kenneth haphazardly put his coat back on. He walked out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Kenneth slapped the button for the elevator when Kate bolted out of the apartment. "Daddy, please, you have to help me." She pleaded.

"What would you have me do?"

"We could present a united front and maybe settle. This time I will leave him be... I will get out of ton as promised."

"It's a good idea, Katherine." She breathed a sigh of relief. "Only thing is... that is not what is happening here. You think this is a lawsuit. It's not, this is Christian Grey using the legal system to take everything. This isn't about him winning; this is about us losing it all. It was his idea to get you help, so I did. It never once occurred to me that he was simply maneuvering things so I'd take my eye off the ball. That's exactly what I did, I took my eye off the ball, and he bought up every available share of Kavanagh media." Kenneth chuckled. He had been played and he only just realized it.

"I don't understand," Kate whispered as the elevator door opened.

"When he bought twenty-seven percent of Kavanagh Media's shares, he came to my office to tell me why he was all of a sudden interested in my company. I told you that day to let it go, but you didn't. I knew deep down that you wouldn't, and in truth, I hoped whatever plan you had would succeed. I kept my eyes on the remaining shareholders, kept my ears to the ground for news of Grey buying more shares as retaliation just in case you failed again. After the benefit, I was sure he'd be back to buy more shares, so I readied my finances. I was willing to even borrow from the bank to keep him at bay. Then he suggested I get you professional help. I thought that was it. For two months after you were gone, there was nothing, not even a murmur about him approaching the remaining shareholders. I stupidly breathed a sigh of relief. Twenty-four hours after you decide to destroy his reputation, he is now the only other shareholder. I took my eye off the ball, and that was exactly what he wanted me to do while he put things in place. So, no, Katherine, there will be no settlement." He hit the elevator button again and got on this time. Watching her father's defeated stance as the elevator door closed, Kate knew she had cost her family everything.

Kate spent that afternoon reading up on civil cases. She had indeed harassed him, stalked members of the Grey family. She had tried to use Caroline to defame him, but only in Ana's eyes. Kyle had been different, with him she had gone after both of them and failed. Kyle, she now knew had lied to her. She saw no reason to call and confront him the damage was already done. The case might never see a courtroom, as judges encouraged mitigation, arbitration, and other alternative forms of settlement. If her father was correct, then Christian could drag that out. During all that, her finances would slowly dwindle, as she'd be paying a lawyer throughout. So by the time they reached a courtroom, she could very well have nothing. She could run, but with no finances as her father would no longer be transferring her trust fund to her name only, she wouldn't get very far. Katherine Kavanagh would be the first to admit that she wouldn't know how to survive without the comforts she had gotten used to. Hell, living alone was proving difficult. She couldn't cook or clean, and her constant reliance on junk food was beginning to take its toll on her weight and her skin.

Christian Grey was out to destroy her, and he would win unless she found a way to stop him.

* * *

"Why do you hate the man so much?" Christian moved from behind his desk to join his grandma at the conference table.

Carol stared at the boy for a beat and decided to fill him in. "I don't know if you remember the summer your mother got her masters."

"No." Christian shook his head.

"It's no secret how I feel about your mother or my need to shout about her accomplishment. So well, getting a masters degree required a party to celebrate as far as I was concerned. I don't know whom, but someone invited Kavanagh. The Seattle Times wasn't much of anything, but he was seen as an up and comer. All he needed was a big break, that one big story that put him on the map. He decided that the story was your mother. " Christian's eyes widen.

"Why?"

"The Trevelyan name was a big deal in Seattle, then Carrick and Grace got married, the Grey name was also known. Now, these families are joined together by marriage. We then moved to Seattle when you were around seven, and immediately had an impact. Grace and I had been talking about doing something for young girls that found themselves in your mother's position. None of us wanted to think about what would have happened if Ella hadn't met Grace at that clinic. We had the finances and the clout to do something about it. We started a charity. Within months of arriving, we threw this lavish charity gala, Coping Together. Your grandma Trevelyan and I threw ourselves into one charitable cause after another. We didn't just give money we were front and center. We made quite the impact, and we made news of the right kind..."

"Meaning, somebody wanted to find where the skeletons were buried." Christian surmised.

"Not just somebody. Every paper and gossip magazine was willing to pay increasingly ridiculous amounts for info on the Grey's." Now Christian understood Kavanagh's motivation. Get the one info everyone wanted, and his circulation would increase by half or more.

"You know your mother, the type to hide when all eyes are on her. During her party, she was nowhere to be found. I eventually found her hiding in the kitchen. She gave me her..."

"It's not a big deal." Both Christian and carol chuckled.

"Indeed." Carol shook her head. "I naturally felt the need to list her accomplishment. Unbeknownst to us, Kavanagh heard it all."

"I see, so he wrote about mom's history."

"No, he never got the chance. In those days he didn't have his own printing press. He used one in Spokane. One that Theo had helped keep going with a massive injection of cash and clients. Everyone at that press knew Theo and knew he was the reason the place was still standing. The manager of the printing press called Theo about Kavanagh's intentions. He quickly got an injunction stopping Kavanagh.

I understand ambition, I understand being an up and comer and needing that big break, and some do it at the expense of others. Well, not my family, not the woman who had worked harder than Kavanagh could imagine getting to where she was. Despite all that, I wouldn't have had a problem with him if he left it there, but he decided to fight the injunction. It took him months to get a court date, and yet the case was over in less than half an hour. In the end, I believe the courts said they would lift the injunction if he could provide evidence to back his story. Why I don't know. He hired a private detective to dig into your mother's past but found the records sealed. He went to court in Michigan to have them opened and lost. You'd think he'd give up then, but no, he had someone following your mother in Boston hoping for... who knows. All he found was a hard-working woman raising her son. He finally gave up when he found his big break elsewhere.

He didn't care about the effects his story would have had on you. Growing up, you were William's boy to those that didn't know your name."

"I still am to some people." Christian murmured.

"These people know he's not your biological father, but he is your dad in every other way. But despite knowing that, the gossiping would start. Your parents spent a few weeks a year here until William graduated as they both had internships. You, on the other hand, spent every holiday with us. You played with the kids in the neighborhood, those same kids would hear the gossip from their parents and all of a sudden, something that was widely known is now a scandal because Kenneth Kavanagh would have made it so. I understand most would have seen the positive aspect of your mother's story, but life has its naysayers, and they tend to be louder than everyone else." Christian wished he could say his grandmother was exaggerating, but he had seen it before.

"Well, Kavanagh Media is now mine." He smiled. "To think the son of the woman who's name he was determined to sully now owns his ass." Carol couldn't help the bark of laughter that left her. "Stay for lunch?" Christian asked.

"Why not. Call Ana to join us why don't you." Carol sat back with a wide smile.

_**JUNE 1992**_

_"Ella, there is a couple here insisting they are your parents." Ella's head shot up._

_"I'm sorry... what?" She stared at her assistant in shock._

_"Yeah, Kerry says the woman looks a lot like you."_

_"Right, erm... send them up." As naïve as it sounded she hadn't at all expected this moment. She wasn't even sure how they found her. She looked at Christian who was sat at his own table in the corner reading his comic books. She wondered how he could have music blaring while he read. She was easily distracted when William switched on the TV while she worked._

_A knock on the door had her looking at her parents, who just stared at her as though she was some kind of spectacle. She sighed. "Jane, hold my calls until further notice." Then she turned back to her parents, "Come in and close the door."_

_"We were wrong." Her mother uttered before either of them had sat down. She looked over at Christian and gasped._

_"You had him." Her father blurted out, though his voice was barely above a whisper; Ella could detect the hint of disapproval. Her mother had just admitted they were wrong, but it appeared she was only one who felt that way._

_Ella couldn't help the smile that left her as she stared at her little man. Christian feeling his mother's eyes on him looked up. He also finally noticed the couple sat opposite his mother. He pulled his earphones off. "Hello." He greeted politely._

_"Hello." Ella noticed her mother's voice was barely above a whisper as she tried to hold back the tears._

_"Christian, could you go and keep Jane company for a bit."_

_"Sure, mom." He stood and left the office without thought. He was eight, as astute as he was, he didn't give much thought to the two people acting strangely in his mother's office._

_"What can I do for you?" Ella could finally concentrate on the two people in front of her._

_"We were wrong." Her mother repeated._

_"Okay, and what do you want me to do with that?" She asked. Her father did not look as though he cared either way. She knew it wasn't true. David Richardson had always been good at hiding his feelings. Hell, even when he told her she would be aborting the bastard growing inside her like cancer, he looked as he did now. The man pulled the rug from under her, and he showed zero emotion while doing it. Well, today she could play him at his game._

_"We have spent years looking for you. We hired a private detective, but he found nothing. So imagine our surprise when he calls us up and tells us he'd found you. You were featured in a magazine article about Harvard graduates." A hint of pride appeared on David's features before he went back to his impassive look. So that is why he was there. Her father had more than likely thought she had the abortion, and that was why she had achieved what she had. She had surprised him by having Christian. "Told us you graduated with a Ph.D. in mathematics and had been working here as an accountant for some time." He added. Ella had been working for the IRS since they moved to Boston. First, she'd interned then was offered a job. She got the internship thanks to Mr. Doherty, and in the last four years had worked her way up to accountant._

_"You are engaged." Her mother said as she stared at the ostentatious ring gracing her finger._

_"Yes." She'd never wondered how she'd feel if she ever saw them again because she'd never thought she would. As she spoke, she found that she didn't care. Sure, she could be the bigger person and have them back in her life, but in truth, they'd have no role in her life. She had a family, a large one at that and they didn't fit in anywhere. Her son didn't know them, and she wouldn't want him to. "You were wrong... okay, but what do you want. Why are you here?"_

_"A chance to be a part of your life." Her mother finally said the words she knew one of them would eventually utter. Those words would have meant something while she was growing up._

_"I don't want you in my life." Her father's face showed the disbelief he felt, and this was the one time he could not easily hide it. "Honestly, I don't need you. What role could you possibly play?"_

_"We are grandparents." Her mother's voice was tinged with sadness and regret, but Ella couldn't bring herself to care._

_"Yes, until he does something you don't like. You were my parents, you were supposed to look out for me, and you abandoned me. You looked for me." She scoffed. "You wouldn't have had to if you hadn't taken the position you took. You wouldn't even listen to me when I tried to talk to you. Why should I listen to anything you have to say? I'm not trying to be cruel, but honestly, you weren't there while I was growing up as it was. You were always busy with something else or someone else. I could ask you to tell me about me while I lived under your roof and you'd struggle to do so." They didn't argue, as they knew she was speaking the truth. "What value could you possibly add to my life? I'm sorry, but you are not going to use my son, the grandchild that was a bastard of a cancer growth to right your mistakes. Forget I exist; you did that for the seventeen years I was under your roof. You can devote all your time to your various pursuits now."_

_"Ella..." her mother tried again, but couldn't find the words._

_"Come on Emma... we tried." David helped his reluctant wife up and out the door._

* * *

_"Who were they?" Christian asked on the drive home. He surprised Ella with the question, up until then, he didn't really seem to care._

_"Do you really want to know?" Ella questioned._

_"Not really, I was just curious." He admitted._

_"They are my parents."_

_"Oh, okay." He went back to fiddling with the radio._

_"Is that it?" Ella chuckled._

_"They didn't want me." He shrugged._

_"And you know that how?" Ella's day had been filled with one shocking event after another._

_"Elliot told me. He heard grandma and aunt Grace talking about it. Grandma said their loss was her gain." Ella smiled, Carol Grey was indeed the mother she'd always wished she had not the one in her office today. _

_"Of course, he did," Ella muttered._

_"You are not mad, are you?"_

_"No, I'm not. If it bothered you, you would have asked me about it." She surmised._

_"Yep." He finally found a station he wanted. "Can we have pizza today, it's Friday?"_

_"With all the packing we have to do, it will have to be pizza." They were moving in a couple of days. William had accepted an internship at Seattle General to be close to the rest of the family. The move was something the entire family was excited about. Christian would be closer to Elliot and Mia, and that made Ella happy about the move more than anything else._

_When they arrived home, William was covered in sweat as he hauled their beat-up couch out the house with a man she didn't know into a van. "Hey, babe." He called out after they were done._

_"What's going on?" She asked as William ruffled Christian's already messed up hair as he headed indoors. Christian was more than likely already on the phone ordering pizza. The pizza place was used to him now._

_"Dean told me about this guy. He is cheaper than renting a skip, and he helps you move the stuff to the van as well." Dean was their neighbor; he'd moved in a few years ago and immediately hit it off with William._

_"That's everything?" The man with the van asked._

_"Yes, thanks for the help." William handed over a few tens, and with a salute, the man got in his van and drove off._

_"I still can't believe the couch was only four years old," Ella mused out loud. With Christian and William, it looked as though it had seen them through a few decades. "Leather upholstery is the way to go with you and that boy."_

_"Can't argue that. I have dropped as much food on the couch as Christian, if not more."_

_"How anyone misses their mouth when eating as much as you do is beyond me. What is your mother going to think?"_

_"She will think nothing because I'm a grown man with a family of my own." Ella let out a condescending laugh._

_"Oh, you delusional fool." She said as she sauntered into the house with a little more sway in her hips. William Grey looked good with his shirt off. They had half an hour before the pizza would be delivered._

_With no couch, they had to for once eat in the kitchen. It had a dining room table that was only used when they had guests. "I always wondered if they'd ever show up," William said after Ella told him about his day._

_"That thought never crossed my mind," Ella admitted._

_Your mother says they were wrong, but here is what I didn't hear from your story. An apology from either of them." William said as he washed the dishes. No, there hadn't been an apology, and in truth, she hadn't realized, as she didn't expect one. Whatever reservations she might have had with the decision she made, it had just disappeared._


	26. Chapter 26

The new building that housed SIP had underground parking, something Sawyer was suddenly very grateful for. Katherine Kavanagh had spent the last two weeks parked further down the street from SIP, hoping to catch Ana. She had in the previous week, called SIP asking for an appointment with Ana, one that was refused as Ana had a restraining order against her. She had turned up hoping she'd be allowed to see Ana, only to have security practically drag her out of the building into the arms of the police. Unfortunately, as it was her first offense, she paid the fine and has so far stayed within the law and keeping the required distance. A hundred yards is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Kenneth Kavanagh had effectively washed his hands off his daughter. Now she had taken to staking out the deli Ana frequented hoping to catch her. After two weeks with no success, one would think she'd give up and head home.

Ana again noticed Kate's car through the tinted windows. The tint was not that dark, but it was enough to stop her from seeing into the vehicle not that Ana cared. She was sure Kate had no idea which car was hers considering the number of cars that drove past. Ana was at a point where she believed nothing would get rid of Kate's obsession with them. There she was about to lose it all, and yet she couldn't stay away. Ana wasn't sure why Kate was there, but also couldn't bring herself to care. They were getting on with their lives despite the Kavanaghs.

Grandma Carol had somehow during lunch a couple of weeks ago gotten a wedding date out of them. They hadn't even talked about it, but all of a sudden found themselves setting a date for September. They both agreed to a small ceremony with just family and close friends in Christian's parents' backyard. It was bigger than Carrick and Grace's backyard, and if that was big enough to hold the Coping Together ball, then William and Ella's could more than suffice for their wedding.

"Good morning, Ana," Jack greeted with a mischievous grin. "I see your stalker is still out there." He teased earning a series of unintelligible groans from Ana. "I could have sworn I heard a few four-letter expletives there, but I could be wrong. There is no way my star employee would be swearing at her boss, who might I hard is the best."

"You heard, right." Ana retorted before slamming her office door shut. She chuckled as she got behind her desk. She wasn't sure how many people could say they loved their bosses, but she did. Jack had made her dreams in regards to working in publishing come true. This was everything she hoped for when she dreamed of becoming an editor. Ana recalled Kate telling her to get her head out of la-la land and join the real world. It seemed she was the one with her head firmly planted in the real world, while Kate dreamt of a life with Christian Grey.

She booted up her computer and then stared out the window. Her window faced the main street, and she could see as far as the deli, so she could see Kate still parked down the road. She could also see that further down the road, one of Christian's security guys was keeping an eye on Kate. According to the security guys Kate had binoculars. She shook her head in disbelief and turned back to the booted PC. Ana entered her password and opened her emails. She nearly squealed at the sight of the first draft of Boyce Fox's second book. Whatever else she had planned to do that day had to wait. She gleefully printed the manuscript and settled down on the couch in the corner of her office.

Everyone loved the new building. The offices were much bigger, light and airy. The building was mostly glass, so every office was rewarded with a view. Ana had a small office in comparison to Jack's but loved every inch of it. The cash injection into the business by GEH had allowed Jack to decorate the office in a style that befitted a modern publishing house with new equipment and furnishings. Jack had decided to keep the company name and had the idea of merely changing the name of the cities they opened a branch in. Plans were already in the works to open an office in Minneapolis. It was Elizabeth's family home, and they had great contacts there to make the opening of Minneapolis Independent Publishing a less tasking job. The reason Jack had jumped so quickly was the fact that an existing publishing house with its own printing press was closing its doors due to poor sales. Christian had encouraged Jack to go for it. The owner had eagerly accepted Jack's offer. Both branches were under The Independent Publishing House Company.

Her phone rang, and with a groan, she got up to get it. "Hey, mom."

"Ana, how are you?" Carla sounded rather cheerful.

"What are you so happy about?" She asked with a chuckle.

"I managed to get out of a week's golf retreat or whatever it's called."

"It can't be that bad." Ana knew it was. Christian had been once with the men in his family, he called it the biggest mistake of his life.

"Ana, watching paint dry is more fascinating. I'm sure if I understood the damn sport, I would have been less inclined to slit my throat just for some entertainment." She laughed out loud. Her mother could be rather dramatic.

"A week to yourself, have any plans."

"None..."

"Why don't you come here? I mean Christian and I will be at work most of the week, but grandma Carol and Adele will be more than happy to have you with them. Oh, speaking of grandma Carol, we have set a date for our wedding; it's the first weekend of September."

Let me guess Carol managed to rope you into setting a date for this year." Carla laughed in disbelief but far from surprised.

"What do you know?" Ana groused.

"During our weekend in Montana, you and Christian said you weren't in a hurry to walk down the aisle and looking at next summer. Well, she said that wouldn't do, and she'd have to do something about it."

"And you didn't think to warn us." Ana couldn't believe her ears.

"Well, honey... we agreed with her."

"Of course, you did." She grumbled.

"I for one I'm looking forward to it all," Carla added. She had told herself after missing Ana's graduation that, it would be the last thing she missed in her daughter's life. She had missed out on too much already, and it was her fault and nobody else's. Cheating on Ray with Stephen had been her first mistake. Allowing that man near her daughter was another mistake. The minute she realized her mistake, she sent Ana back to Ray, and six months later, she had divorced Stephen. Those events had damaged her relationship with her daughter, and in the subsequent years, the distance between them grew. In the last few years, their relationship had improved.

"Have you told your dad?"

"Not yet, he is away fishing. He should be back at the end of the week," Ana mumbled.

"Anyway, the main reason for my call. Katherine has called me seventeen times in the last four days." Ana's jaw dropped.

"Did you say seventeen times in four days?"

"Yes, I have ignored every single one, so much so I'm not answering calls from numbers I don't know. Her messages have also gotten increasingly abusive and threatening. Bob has recordings of all of them and put them on a disc."

"That's brilliant mom, we can use it."

"Ana, I am very concerned for you and Christian. That girl is becoming unhinged."

"I know we have people watching her. Right now, she is sat about a hundred yards down the road from SIP."

"Dear God. Why haven't you called the police? Isn't there a restraining order against her?"

"Yes, but she is staying within the law so there isn't much we can do. But the phone calls to you should put another nail in her coffin," Ana was at a point were Kate dropping down dead would be a blessing.

"With all the money you have can't you hire someone to get rid off her? I'm sure Ray knows one or two people." Carla said in all seriousness.

"MOM! You can't say things like that," Ana admonished.

"Don't tell me you haven't thought of it." She laughed. "You couldn't lend me a hundred thousand dollars, could you?"

"Mom, you are not hiring anyone to kill Kate." Despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her.

"Who said anything about killing her. I said, get rid off, that could mean a different number of things." Carla argued.

"Last time I checked, I was the English major, I know exactly what you meant."

"Tomato, tomahto."

"That doesn't... I give up." You couldn't argue with Carla, she'd go entirely off course simply frustrating you until you gave in. "When are you coming?" She moved back to a safer topic.

"Next Friday after Bob leaves."

"Cool, I will send you a ticket."

"You don't need to."

"Okay, see you next week. And mom, do not bring up hiring someone to get rid of Kate in front of the Greys and Trevelyans."

"Sure, sure, love you, baby girl." Carla was gone before she could say a word. Ana knew her warning had fallen on deaf ears.

* * *

"Carrick." He looks up from his paper with a wry smile, as he knew the voice very well.

"Godfrey, I can't say this is a surprise." Carrick folded his paper and placed it on the table before taking a sip of his coffee. "I heard a couple of rumors, but since you hadn't filed an answer, I didn't think much of it, but seeing you here." Carrick spread his arms wide.

Godfrey rolled his eyes at Carrick's dramatics. "I take it you know that Kavanagh has retained our services. I'm hoping we can keep this out of court."

"We can if you are about to hand over a check of a hundred million dollars. If not, then I'm afraid..." Carrick left the sentence unfinished with a shrug.

"I can understand going after the daughter, but the father..." Carrick stared at Godfrey with a disbelieving look.

"Your client set his daughter on my client knowing her obsession with my nephew. He encouraged her even after Christian purchased a large percentage of Kavanagh Media. He didn't care because he believed his daughter would succeed. He stood by at the hospital benefit while she made a fool of herself and only intervened when it became clear she was about to out his involvement. I have recordings of Kavanagh admitting he knew his daughter was obsessed with Christian but didn't think she posed a threat, so it was okay. He went out of his way to get her in the same room with Christian despite the threat she posed. She has at one point or another stalked each member of our family. The girl is delusional, and he knows it." Carrick's playful demeanor had long left the building.

He got her help." Godfrey argued.

"If that your argument, you've lost." Carrick retorted. "Did he tell you Christian insisted he get her help?" The look on Godfrey's face was all the answer he needed.

"It will help if you got your client to tell you the whole truth instead of half-truths. I have the feeling if you knew everything you would not have taken the case. Kavanagh used his daughter to get back in our good graces." Carrick had learned from Christian the reason his mother hated Kavanagh so much. Carrick found Kavanagh's attempt to get in his family's favor laughable considering his efforts to publish information that would have hurt a little boy and his mother.

"Get back denotes that at some point he was in your good graces." Godfrey wondered if there was some history there Kavanagh had omitted. Carrick scoffed at the notion of Kavanagh ever been in family's good graces. No, his mother simply didn't hate him then.

"Ask your client. Due to his actions, Christian and Ana have had a delusional, obsessive plague the first year of their relationship. A hundred million is the least of what he owes."

"He doesn't have it."

"He can sell his shares in Kavanagh Media," Carrick said with a shrug.

"I will get back to you," Godfrey said with a sigh.

"You do that." Carrick went back to his paper and coffee. "Oh. Godfrey, I am really looking forward to this." Carrick added never looking up from his newspaper.

* * *

"Where is Elliot? He's usually here before we are." Christian murmured.

"He'll be here, food isn't something he will ever miss out on." Grace moves around Ella as the two prepare Sunday lunch for the family. The two women could do this with their eyes closed and never bump into each other. It resembled a well-choreographed dance.

"Ana, do you have any idea about the style of dress you want?" Carol asked nonchalantly earning glares from both Ana and Christian. The two knew they'd been hoodwinked into setting a date sooner than either had wanted.

"Actually, we've decided this September might not be all that feasible for us. It looks like I will have several book launches in the weeks leading up to the wedding if we pick September." Ana avoided eye contact with the room as she spoke. "Excuse me." She quickly fled as she felt their eyes threatening to bore a hole in her head.

"Christian..." Carol called in a sickly sweet voice. Fuck if he was going to stick around for whatever manipulative move his grandmother was conjuring up.

"I'm going to check on Ana." He muttered departing in the same haste as his fiancée.

He found Ana in the library. "You are one brave woman Miss Steele." He wrapped his arms around his wife to be and sighed. Ana turned in his arms and leaned away from him.

"I'm not sure about that. We both know we might end up getting married in September. Hell, she could arrange the damn thing without either of us present." Christian chuckled, knowing her words had a ring of truth to them.

"So why are we fighting it?"

"Why make it easy for them. Let's be honest, as much as grandma carol instigated it, they are all in on it."

"Yes, I got that from the deadly looks you were getting," Christian whispered. "Is September possible though? You do actually have those book launches to consider."

"It will be tight, but it can be done. And I like the idea of celebrating my birthday on our honeymoon. "Ana leaned against the column and arched her back. Hunching over the kitchen island for the last hour or so hadn't done her back any favors.

"So when do we tell them September is still a go?" He asked as his eyes raked over every inch of her.

"Let them sweat for a few days." Ana moaned.

"Of course, it's not you they'll hound." He groused.

"You forget my mother is staying with us."

"I did." He admitted. "I always tell you how beautiful you are. I talk about your poise, grace, and charm. I don't think I've ever told you how incredibly sexy I find you." He stepped close, a hair's breadth from her.

Her eyes slowly drifted to his. Her lip caught in her teeth. He gripped her chin and slowly realized her lip from the confines of her teeth.

"I always questioned how someone could utter such sweet words, and yet also be capable of the verbal diarrhea that dared pour out of your mouth the day I met you." She teased. Christian groaned and buried his head in her neck as she giggled.

"Just when hope begins to bloom in my chest..." The library door slammed open.

"Okay, what did you two do?" Elliot asked with his hands on his hips.

"We have no idea," Ana returned.

"The uproar about your wedding date."

"Oh, that." She chuckled but offered no explanation.

"I'm starving, I hope lunch is ready. I didn't eat breakfast this morning." Christian muttered with a pout.

"So Elliot, your younger cousin, is getting married soon." Grace could kiss Carla at that moment.

"Watching Christian and Ana, I have come to realize the importance of meeting the right girl. " He uttered with a stern look.

"I don't care who she is as long as you are happy," Grace added.

"Mom always said the same thing." Christian chuckled.

"Oh, I was lying," Ella admitted. "I let you live your life, but had you brought home someone like Katherine Kavanagh, I would have made both your lives miserable and recruited the twins for that very purpose as well." She added.

"So all that just settle down I don't care who you end up with."

"Of course, I cared about the woman you ended up with. The minute I laid eyes on Ana, no one else would have been good enough. You were just another arrogant man to her by the way she looked at you. You, my dear boy, on the other hand, was smitten. It was wonderful for someone to look at you and not just see the Christian Grey or dollar signs." Ella smiled at the pair.

"I had no idea who he was, and after that meeting, I didn't want to know," Ana admitted.

"Yeah, I could see that that was why I insisted on escorting you out," Ella revealed.

"Is that why you changed your mind?" Carla asked.

"No, but it got me thinking," Ana murmured.

"She only agreed on the date so I'd show up at her friends showing." He narrowed his eyes at Ana.

"If you are waiting for me to feel bad about that, keep waiting." That had the room laughing.

"What did he say to anyway?" Carla asked.

"I will play it for you when we get home." Christian damn near choked on his wine.

* * *

"Wait, what do you mean you can't take the case?" Kate yelled, incensed at the casual dismissal of her by her lawyer.

"I made certain stipulations regarding taking you on as a client, and you broke them. First, you violated the restraining order and got arrested and fined. Now you have a record. Second, you have continued to stalk Miss Steele despite my warnings."

It was over a hundred yards." Kate defended.

"I don't care how far away you were, I told you to stay well clear of that family but again you couldn't do that. And my favorite, read this." He tossed a file towards her. It contained only one paper. It took mere seconds before Kate's eyes bulged out of her head. "Yes, according to Dr. Bentley, nothing has changed. He reports that you told them what you thought they wanted to hear. You made no effort to actually get over your obsession of Christian Grey. He believes you have no intention of changing as you firmly believe him to be yours, and are a danger to Miss Steele. That six-month rehab stay was your one defense, but this report just rendered that moot. We could have argued that you were doing well until the news about the engagement broke, but what this letter shows is that you were simply bidding your time hoping they'd break up. The engagement threw all your machinations out the window. You have no defense, Miss Kavanagh."

"I... I..." Kate struggled to find the words to defend what she'd just read. "This is all my father's fault. He should be the one held responsible." Her lawyer simply ignored the statement.

"I cannot defend someone who undermines me. You did the very thing I told you not to do. Please get out of my office. I'm sure someone else will take your money to defend you even though you are indefensible due to your own actions." Kate glared at the lawyer but left the office all the same.

Kate knew she wasn't done trying to get Ana's attention. She knew if she could have a few minutes of Ana's time, she could talk her into dropping the suit. They were once friends, and Kate would admit that she had made a mistake in giving Ana an ultimatum. What she should have done was agreed to their deal to let Christian choose. She should have accepted that deal. They'd still be friends giving her a chance to be closer to Christian. Christian would have gotten to know her better and realized she was the better option, but as it stood, she would have to work extremely hard to be seen as suitable in the eyes of the Grey family.

Katherine Kavanagh spent a week partying, basking in the attention men at the clubs paid her. After a long night and another late morning, she decided it was time to find another law firm to take her case. She looked at the stack of bills and with a sigh, and started opening them. They weren't going to magically disappear if she ignored them. One letter though was not a bill, she had failed to file an answer to the suit, and therefore the court had found in favor of the plaintiffs, Christian Grey, and Anastasia Steele. She had twenty days, her lawyer hadn't told her this. With trembling hands, she called her father.

"I was wondering when I was going to hear from you." Kenneth groused. "Your failure to answer the suit will have adverse effects on my own case. To think I thought you were intelligent enough for the likes of Grey. How fucking stupid could you be?"

"Daddy..."

"I don't fucking want to hear it. You have been partying around town. Stumbling out of clubs with one fucking useless boy after another instead of finding a lawyer. What did you think was going to happen? That verdict is final. Everything you have is mine. Good luck getting yourself out of this mess." Kenneth disconnected the line before she could say a word.

Kate sat there, staring at the phone, wondering who she could call. As much as she didn't want to, she had no choice. Both Ethan and her mother's lines had been disconnected. They had changed their numbers. She quickly got dressed after deciding it was best to see her father. Maybe, he might not be so harsh when he faced her. She had another issue; her car key was nowhere to be found. She had no idea where her spare was, as Ana was the one that kept it safe for her. "SHIT."

She'd have to take a cab.

An hour later, it had become painfully evident that she had no one to turn to as she stood outside her father's building. She had been refused entry. Katherine Kavanagh's feet carried her forward with no real destination in mind. She walked and walked until she ended up in a part of town she didn't know. Usually, she would have been a target for muggers, but with her disheveled look, she looked as though she fit right in. "Now, a fine chick such yourself needs to protect herself in such a neighborhood, especially in your line of work." Kate, for the first time, realized where her legs had carried her. She panicked, but soon realized no one was really paying attention to her. "So, what do you say? Can I interest in one of my many fine merchandizes." Kate looked down at what the man was offering, and it seemed like the answer to all her problems.


	27. Chapter 27

James Temple let out another yawn despite several cups of coffee. For three days they had done nothing but watch Katherine Kavanagh. The evidence provided my Christian Grey's security was proof of her obsession with the CEO. An obsession that had taken a deadly turn. They received surveillance footage of her purchasing a gun from an unlicensed seller. She had no permit or so they thought. The weapon itself would most likely have its serial number filed off. That alone would be enough to put her in jail for ten years, except surprise surprise Katherine Kavanagh had a fucking CCW permit. As it stood, the idiot that sold her the gun was in more trouble than Kavanagh was. The boys upstairs deemed Kavanagh a threat to Grey and his fiancée and were therefore willing to let her carry out her plan. James agreed the girl was a danger, but he just felt uncomfortable with the plan.

He just couldn't shake the feeling that it was all going to end up with someone dead, and watching Kavanagh the last three days had only confirmed his belief. She hadn't gone anywhere GEH or SIP. In fact, Katherine Kavanagh's movements over the last few days were perplexing at best. Kavanagh had rented an SUV. She was also dressed in a manner that allowed her to blend in with the downtown crowd if need be. If Kavanagh discharged a weapon in this crowd, it would be chaos.

Half an hour later, she had driven three blocks to the legal offices of Bonner, Hughes, and Associates. "What is this girl up to?" James murmured.

"For someone who has apparently targeted Grey and his fiancée, she hasn't gone anywhere near them." His partner, Simon added.

Yeah, that is what I'm worried about." James shifted in his seat. One, his ass cheeks had fallen asleep, two, he was uneasy about this whole thing. "We should have arrested her already."

"Yeah, I know, but at the same time, I can understand why they would like to slap her with an attempted murder charge. She goes away for a long time. The other shit are just misdemeanors, a chick like her could talk her way out of buying a gun when she found herself in a dangerous part of town."

"Yeah, I sup..." James Temple's gut feeling was never wrong, and before he could finish his sentence, he was proved right. "Oh fuck, of course." James groaned and grabbed the radio. "STOP HER." He bellowed as he started the car.

Katherine Kavanagh pulled out of her parking space at the speed that heralded nothing good. She gripped the steering wheel as she aimed for the cause of all her problems. The more she thought about it, the more she blamed her father for the mess she was in. Instead of helping, he had taken everything from her. She couldn't find her car keys because her father had gone to her apartment while she was out and grabbed them. He had given her thirty days to vacate the apartment. This was entirely his fault, and when the shit hit the fan; he was laying the mess at her door. "Well, fuck you." She snarled as the car slammed into Kenneth Kavanagh. He shot into the air, slamming against the windshield then going over the top of the SUV and slammed down on the other side. Kate came to an abrupt stop and then reversed over the prone body of Kenneth Kavanagh.

The rumor was your life flashed before your eyes when death was close. Kenneth Kavanagh's thought was on the wife who had just told him she was divorcing him. Apparently, she had met someone in London and was leaving him. She had finally found a reason. Strangely, he knew it was coming, but it still took him by surprise. He had turned on his little girl to save his ass, and there he was seconds away from death. He had ruined her life for what. Of course, as he slipped from the mortal world, he had no idea his little girl was the one responsible.

Unfortunately for James Temple, Kavanagh had gone over the car, making it impossible to stop his daughter from reversing over him. The minute she did, he pulled out behind her and shot out her ties. A squad car pulled up in front of her car. Several officers surrounded the car with their guns drawn.

She had not expected this, though she hadn't really planned a getaway she didn't expect the cops to turn up so soon.

* * *

"Carla is staying with Carrick and Grace, grandma Carol has effectively kidnapped her." Jose chuckled. He'd met Carol Grey in Montana, and the woman was a force to be reckoned with.

"This sucks, Eve and I were looking forward to spending a few days with you guys before we headed for Italy." José had a photo shoot there and Eve was currently working as his assistant. The arrangement allowed them to travel together as José had six months with a fashion magazine in Italy.

"They can come for their visit." Christian walked into the kitchen with a smile on his face.

"What happened?"

"Turns out we weren't Kavanagh's target, it was her father. She ran Kenneth over with her car and then backed up over his body," Ana winced just as José took in a sharp breath.

"That is cold," José muttered.

"Yeah, so why purchase a gun if she was just going to..." Ana couldn't finish the sentence.

"It was more likely what she had in mind, but then to then find him crossing the road. It was convenient to use her car, I guess. The police found the gun in her car. It's over. We don't have to be anywhere near this mess as it has nothing to do with us." Christian couldn't even bring himself to even pretend he cared about either of them.

Well, Annie looks like we will see you tomorrow." José muttered.

"Yeah, I guess I will." Ana was a little shocked by the whole thing. Kate had just run over her father with a car then reversed over him.

"And I will tell Ray to put his guns away, it's no longer needed," Jose said with a laugh as he hung up.

"Is Kenneth still alive?" She asked.

"I don't know, but security will let me know if there are any new developments." Christian poured himself some freshly squeezed apple juice.

"What about the lawsuit?"

"There is no point to it anymore. Even if he lives... I doubt he would ever cross our path again. Before I got the call about Katherine, his lawyer had offered me the rest of Kavanagh Media, so I need nothing from him."

"So it's over." Ana hadn't realized how the spectra of Kate hung over them until this moment. Relief was the overriding feeling and some shock at Kate's action. Then again, Katherine Kavanagh had proved she was capable of anything.

* * *

"Never thought I'd say this, but I'm not looking forward to going back to work," Christian grumbled as he sprawled out the feet of the bed. Kavanagh's action had meant the last three days had been spent at home due to caution. The police had asked for the family to stay out of sight for a couple of weeks.

"It had to end at some point," Ana mumbled as she typed away on her laptop.

"That's true. I'm going to miss seeing you so often," He groused running his finger under Ana's foot.

"Unless you want to end up with a black eye or worse a broken nose I suggest you stop tickling me." He laughed but stopped all the same.

After a minute she shut her computer and stared at her fiancé. "What?" He turned on his side and faced her.

"Nothing."

"We both know it's something so ask away... whatever it is."

"Well, I was talking to Cindy." Elliot had taken a real liking to Cindy after he met her while she was out with Anastasia. Christian was not happy about Elliot's interest initially but recognized the look his cousin had. The same look he wore when he met Ana and was desperate to have her. Cindy was Ana's closest friend, and if Elliot messed her over, well it would have made things difficult, but as it stood, it looked like Elliot was in for the long haul. "We were talking about... well, sex and where we stood in comparison to the... it's stupid, forget I said anything."

"No, it is not. Had there been other guys before me, it would be something I'd wonder about. My ego would probably prevent me from ever asking." He sat up and moved closer. "The summer of my sixteen birthday, I put up flyers offering to do odd jobs around Medina and Bellevue, with family in both locations it was easy. Just before the summer ended, I attended a party, and it all changed. See, I was always tall even for my age, but I was skinny, and I mean beanpole thin, with all that work during the summer, I had filled out, and honestly, I didn't realize how much until that party. I got a lot of female attention, and well, as a sixteen year old horny as fuck boy I was all for it. I also became quickly bored, each girl lasted a couple of months before I lost interest. I remember going to a baseball game with dad around the time I started GEH. We were in the private lounge, and I remember this family, the man turned out to be dad's colleague. The daughter kept eyeing me, but I wasn't about to mess around with anyone so close to my family.

On the way home, dad kept looking at me and chuckling. When I asked why he said I looked like I did as a kid when I did something sneaky and was trying to hide it as I tried to keep my eyes of the girl. I told him I had a girlfriend anyway, one I was already utterly bored with after a month. He told me what I add was a fuck buddy, not a girlfriend..." Christian chuckled. "He then said something that only made sense yesterday. He told me he'd be bored with them in a couple of weeks. He said you don't talk. You have little to no shared interests. You don't go out on dates. There is no real adventure and excitement outside of sex, and that can get stale very quickly. You do nothing but fuck.

I didn't really pay much attention to his words until yesterday when I was in the office working, I heard you talking to Gail, and I quickly abandoned my work to come and have lunch with you. I realized I couldn't go a day without this need to see you, talk to you even if it's just to say hey," Ana was well aware of his need to call her every day at work just to say hello. "I honestly thought I'd get bored with you." Ana's eyes widened. "I did, but I had made the decision to do something about it when it happened. I figured it was inevitable, but instead of becoming angry or bitter about it. I would be honest with you when things became stale. Then yesterday I realized just how unlikely it was. These last three days, being able to see and talk to you when I pleased has made me almost grateful for Kavanagh and her delusions.

What I'm trying to say is, no one, and I mean no one came close to what we have. Sex and emotion never went hand in hand for me, but now I can't imagine one without the other. I always thought it was clichéd, but sex, when you are in love, surpasses everything. To answer your question, you are the best I've ever had. Our love for each other makes all this the more... fresh."

"Thanks." She mumbled unsure of what else to say.

"No, thank you." He teased promptly earning an eye roll. "So... you feel like enjoying a little weekday afternoon delight."

"With cheesy lines like that, how can we ever get bored." She quipped as he crawled towards her and put her laptop aside.

_**APRIL 1993**_

"So," William asked excitedly. He exited his office the minute he heard her car. His mother had given them the old family home in Mercer, his parents had decided to move to Bellevue.

"Assistant CFO, nine to five, weekends off, pretty much the same job I had with the IRS, except a little more money," Ella said with little enthusiasm.

"Yet you don't want it." William surmised.

"No, it's perfect."

He was at a loss as to her demeanor. "Okay, it's perfect, it pays well, the hours you want... what am I missing?"

"I'm pregnant." A loud noise came from the kitchen promptly followed by a stuffed mouthed Christian. With his cheeks full of food and his bulging eyes, Ella couldn't help the laugh that left her.

Christian managed to chew and swallow his food in record time. "You are going to have a baby?" The excitement in his eyes brought Ella to tears.

"Yes." She whispered.

"I'm going to be a big brother." It was no secret Christian wanted siblings. He had started asking for them when Carrick and Grace adopted Mia. "Can I tell Elliot and Mia?"

"Not yet, we have a little while." Ella placed her hand on her still flat stomach.

"I knew you were going to say that. When Jeff's mummy had a baby, he couldn't tell anyone for a long time either." He grumbled going back to the kitchen to finish his food.

Ella turned her attention back to William; realizing he was clearly trying to contain his excitement, she sighed in relief. "Are you happy? As long as you want this as much as I do, then I don't care about anything else." Ella whispered.

William's eyes widen when the reason for her subdued demeanor finally registered. The last time she fell pregnant, the father walked away. Without a word, William picked her up ad twirled her around. "Baby, I was ready to walk out on the street and shout about this, but you looked so... I am beyond happy. This is... oh, Ella. Nothing, and I mean nothing will make me walk away from this family. Hell, if it were up to me, I would have knocked you up years ago. Last I checked, we are getting married in less than a week. I think it's safe to say you are stuck with me."

"Of course, you would have." She giggled.

"I love you." He murmured then swooped in for a kiss. William held her tight as they continued kissing.

"No, no, no... I want to talk about the baby." Christian came in interrupting their make-out session.

"I don't know anything yet. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl." Ella answered. "I just took the test." She hadn't been feeling well the last couple of days, had it not been for a movie they'd watched the previous night, the idea of being pregnant would never have occurred to her. Before her job interview, she had picked up a test and confirmed her pregnancy.

"When do you find out?"

"Not for a few more months." Christian nodded.

"Hope it's a girl, she will not take my games. Elliot is always taking my things." William chuckled.

"Yes, I can understand that." William murmured still laughing.

"Don't worry, even if it's a boy you will have very different interest in toys," Ella added, but she could see her boy was unconvinced.

"I get to tell everybody when it's time," Christian added before walking away.

"Sure," Ella answered with a chuckle.

"What about the job? Are you going to tell them or wait?"

"I will have to tell them. They might decide it doesn't work for them." Ella said with a shrug. She'd be gutted if they redrew their offer because she was pregnant, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

"You really need to learn to use the Grey and Trevelyan name to your benefit. Mention mom or Theo, and they wouldn't dare take back their offer. It's not as if you aren't qualified for the position. Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to drop the right name into a conversation."

"I don't know..." Ella damn near moaned as William started sucking on her pulse point. He didn't want to hear about her unwillingness to take advantage of their family's position. "Will... fuck." She groaned when he pushed her against the wall and started grinding his cock into her.

"Your son is around here somewhere... I really would like to postpone traumatizing him for another few years." Despite her words, her legs were still wrapped tight around him as he got her close to her release. William heard her though and in three strides had her in his office and quickly locked the door.

* * *

Ella loved Grace, she truly did, so did William, but Grace was not known for her ability to keep secrets of family members. With that in mind, the private clinic of Dr. Baylor was welcome. Going to Seattle General guaranteed the pregnancy would not be a secret for long. Someone would see them and mention it to Grace, thinking she already knew. Nope, private clinics were the way to go.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting." Dr. Baylor said as she joined them. In truth, William had expected a nurse.

"No, that's fine. I know how it is." William said, waving away the apology. Ella raised an eyebrow at him. He had been beyond impatient a few minutes ago while they waited for someone to come in.

"Okay, let's see what we have here." Dr. Baylor grabbed the ultrasound gel and squeezed a generous amount onto her stomach. A small pouch had begun to grow, the only physical evidence of her condition. "Here we go."

William knew exactly what he was looking at "Is that..." Two months ago, it had just been a small sack or what Ella called a small black circle, but now he could see it clearly.

"What is it?" Ella asked, looking back and forth between William and the doctor.

"Yes, I believe it is, you are having twins." Dr. Baylor said without much fanfare.

"Oh." It was safe to say the news had taken her by surprise. "I mean I don't recall twins in my family or yours," Ella whispered as she stared at the screen.

"There is a first time for every family," William said looking down at his wife with so much pride.

* * *

AN: You probably don't want to hear this, but only one chapter left. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. CJ.


	28. Chapter 28

**EPILOGUE**

_**DECEMBER 2002**_

_"Did you run out of money?" Christian chuckled at the greeting._

_"No, mom, can't a son call his beloved mother just to say hello?"_

_"He can, but I happen to know my son well enough to know it wasn't why he called me today considering I spoke to him yesterday." Yeah, he'd messed up calling her again so soon. He knew he should have waited, but he only had a week if that._

_"So, okay... I was caught speeding, and..."_

_"Since your car is registered to this address, your father is likely to find out. Actually, he will find out as you are also on his insurance." Ella said, failing to hold back her laughter. "Sorry kid, can't help you there."_

_"Thought I try." He mumbled. It would be a miracle if he kept the car after this. He'd only had it for two months, and he'd been caught speeding already._

_"Apart from that, how are you?" Ella kicked off her shoes and sat back. The phone call had given her the excuse to ignore the pile of paperwork on her desk._

_I'm going to my first game tonight, we are playing Princeton." If Christian could see his mother, he would have seen the blood drain from her face. This was not how she wanted to have that conversation. In truth, she waited too long to talk to him about Scott. _

_"Princeton." She whispered._

_"Mom, calm down... I know he is the assistant coach at Princeton. I might have been just a kid, but I put it together. I know dad is not my biological father." He couldn't help himself._

_"Okay, smart-ass." Ella groused as Christian laughed himself silly._

_"Mom, unless I approach him, what are the chances of him seeing me or even approaching me. Scott Davies means nothing to me, and he has nothing to say to me either."_

_"I'm not even going to ask how you knew his name." She muttered with a sigh._

_"Elliot told me," Christian answered with a smile._

_Ella cracked up laughing. "Of course, he did. That boy is always hiding in corners listening to conversations that have nothing to do with him. Worse, he is incapable of keeping the information he learns to himself."_

_"Yeah, he heard you and dad talking and told me." Christian honestly couldn't care less about any of it. The man meant nothing to him._

_"If you find you do want to talk to him that is entirely up to you. I have never questioned the decisions you make."_

_"Except not wanting to go to college in the first place." Christian replies with a groan._

_"I didn't question it, I just didn't agree with you on the subject." Christian found himself questioning why he brought it up. He was at Harvard and in truth, loving every minute of it. Meaning he had lost the argument of not attending college. "I graduated in three, you can do the same if you are intent on not wasting time in lecture halls when you could be doing. Your business plan is... adequate."_

_"It is more than adequate, it is solid." He returned._

_"We will have this conversation again later. Love you." Ella said, ending the call before he could reply._

_Two days later Christian called again. "It was adequate. Love you." He murmured, ending the call. Ella chuckled, getting back to her work. She had gone over Christian's plan with a few people at the office, and well, they had effectively ripped it apart. She knew her son well enough to know she would be getting another business plan with fewer holes._

_"You could just work on that plan with him," William says, lowering his paper._

_"He has to learn, daddy," Ariel complains as she stuffed more pancake in her mouth._

_"I stand corrected," William mutters with a smile._

_"You are not standing." Aurora chuckled at the joke._

_"Still don't get the joke," Ariel complained. Neither did Aurora, but she still found it funny. Chris had said it was a grown-up thing._

_"I miss him," Aurora whispered. Despite the age gap, the three were close. Christian was never too busy, tired, or too grown up to entertain them. He was the first to suggest going to the movie theatre, the park or any place he knew they'd enjoy._

_"I know, dear. We miss him too. He will be home in less than a month for Christmas." Ella said, trying to cheer the twins up. She was grateful they had each other and Mia. She wasn't coping with the boys' absence all that well either._

_"Will he?" Aurora asked._

_"Of course, he misses us too," William answered. "He'd be home, the young ladies around the neighborhood..." Ella glared at him, shutting him up._

* * *

_"Wakey wakey." Ariel tried to get her twin out of bed._

_"Go away." Aurora groaned._

_"If it isn't sleeping beauty living up to her name." Christian teased._

_"Chris?" Aurora bolted out of her comfortable bed and launched herself at Christian. "You are home." She squealed._

_"Why do you say it as though my coming home was a surprise? May I remind you, I didn't want to go in the first place." He complained._

_"You have to learn." The twins said at the same time._

_"Yeah yeah yeah, I know, but it still sucks." He groused. "Come on, we have places to go and people to meet. Get showered, come down for breakfast dressed to hit the town."_

_"Cool." The two bolted for the bathroom._

_Christian exited the room with a smile on his face. It was good to be home. He made his way to the kitchen to grab a quick bite. Ella has always had a sandwich prepared and waiting for him. "Thank you, I miss things like this." He murmured, taking a bite._

_"So what is the review of your first semester."_

_"I'm learning I don't know as much as I thought I did. Don't get me wrong, I know a lot... but there are things I never considered." He admitted._

_"Glad to hear it. Not everyone needs an education to be successful, but for what you want to do it will help." Ella said with a sigh._

_"Dad tells me you are looking for a new job." Christian avoided her stare. William was clearly not meant to share that bit of news._

_"Not as such... I'm looking for a challenge. I wouldn't mind lending my expertise to a start-up or... something along those lines."_

_"Can a start-up afford you?"_

_"No, but I'm willing to take a pay cut as long it is subsidized with a stake in the business."_

_"Well, you do have multitasking down to a science so I'm sure you can do both jobs."_

_"Oh, god no, I've got twins at home. I'd have to give up my current position." Christian's jaw dropped._

_"Oh, come on. I could have avoided college if you were willing to do that. I'd be a start-up by now." His mother was a goddamn genius with numbers, and any business would give an arm to have her looking after their money, especially when you have so little of it as a startup._

_"I love the fact that you thought there was an iota of possibility when it came to you not going to college. You were always going." Ella smirked as Christian just stared in defiance. "Let's face it if there is one thing you can't do is disappoint us." She chuckled as she sauntered away. If there was one thing Christian Grey couldn't do was disappoint his parents, and everyone knew it. It was his mantra, 'I can't, my parents would be so disappointed if they found out.' Hell, the look on their face when he got into Harvard made his heart swell. He was driving a brand new Audi because of it. Yep, it was about time he got used to the fact that he was spending the next three years in college._

_The twins consumed breakfast at record speeds, much to the amusement of the rest of the family. Mia and Elliot turned up just as they were done. Christian took his father's SUV and headed for Westfield Southcenter shopping mall. Christian new the days leading up to Christmas wasn't the best time to shop, but he had a little shopping to do, mostly buying Christmas presents. The twins though wanted to take their picture with Santa so that worked in his favor. "Okay, so Elliot and Disney, Santa. Mia can help me with a little shopping. I have yet to buy any presents."_

_"Dude, that's cutting it close," Elliot muttered._

_"I know, I was up to my eyeballs in work, I had little time for anything else. How mom graduated in three years with a kid and job to boot is beyond me." His respect for his parents grew by the second. "I shouldn't take too long, I know what I'm getting and in which shop."_

_The twins got their picture taken with Santa. He had purchased everything on his list. Disney and Mia had roped them into getting lunch at McDonald's. "Grandma is going to kill me when she finds out."_

_"She's not going to find out from me," Aurora said with a shrug. Ariel nodded in agreement as she had given up trying to suck her milkshake through the straw. He would admit he loved their milkshake. It wasn't the watery shit you got almost everywhere else._

_"We aren't going to tell her. Mrs. Spencer walked out of the bathroom while we were ordering."_

_"We are screwed," Elliot mumbled. "Might as well make the most of it. Who wants chicken nuggets?" He received a chorus of loud and enthusiastic yeses._

* * *

If Scott Davies's life had panned out the way he envisioned, the thoughts of the girl and the child he abandoned would not have plagued him as much as it did. In his senior year of college months before a sure-fire draft into the NFL, his knees went in a home game. It was no one's fault, his knees simply gave out. No one tackled him. No one tripped him. His knees picked that moment to decide to end his dreams. He thought nothing of it. He didn't blame the choice he made years ago for it.

At least he didn't until he run into Ella Richardson. If he were honest with himself, he would admit, he'd never thought of her until that moment. Scott would have felt better knowing she had aborted the kid and moved on with her life, but it was not what she did. Ella had the kid and still did well. For four years he saw her once a year. He looked forward to Princeton's away game at Harvard simply because he might see her in the stands watching the games. She never did attend the games, but her boyfriend did, and Scott had followed him to their house. It was apparent they lived well, and his son was cared for. He spent a few hours watching their home. He was always lucky to catch a glimpse of her and his son.

Would he have blamed all of life's misfortune on walking away from her had he not known how well she did? More than likely not. A small part of him was grateful for how her and boy's life turned out. He wasn't sure he could have handled the added guilt if her life had turned out to be one of adversity. Nothing in his life had worked out for him, all his dreams had fallen apart while hers had flourished. Ella loved numbers and wanted a job where she could flex her skills. He chuckled, remembering her blush when she had said that. She had just that. Scott remembered her home life been far from ideal. She had wanted a big loving family, and now she had that. Ella Richardson Grey had it all despite him.

He couldn't help but think his life as punishment for the decision he made regarding her and his son. The day he saw the boy was the day he realized he'd made a mistake. He tried not to think that way, but it ate away at him. After twenty years, he'd finally made head coach, but that was all he had. He had met a wonderful woman and gotten married, but for some inexplicable reason, they couldn't have children. Several experts later and no one could figure out how. The ordeal took a toll on their marriage, and she ended up having an affair and getting pregnant. What that said was, you were the problem the entire time. But he knew it wasn't true because after all, he did have a child, one he'd abandoned and somehow he expected the universe to give him another.

His subconscious mind knew none of that was true. He wasn't the first man to have abandoned a child in their early life and gone on to have families and successes.

His failures were his own, but it was easier to blame a decision he'd made at eighteen. To watch the very people he'd abandoned make it, while his life went nowhere rankled, but he had no one to blame but himself. He had for years tried to seek forgiveness only for his cowardliness to get in the way. The one-year he had found the courage to go see them he had found them gone. It hadn't taken him long to find them again when the pair had graced the cover of Time magazine. She had left a lucrative job to help her son start his. GEH was now a success of epic proportions. A part of him believes that until he apologizes his life would never prosper. It was a foolish notion, but he had nothing else. Thirty years of nothing working in his favor had to end.

* * *

As much as Christian held onto her hips, he wasn't making any real effort to stop her from grinding on his cock. They were both fully clothed, but she was getting to him, and he really didn't want to cum in his boxers. "Ana... God." He groaned as she sucked on his pulse point. "Baby... we really shouldn't be doing this here." He tried again, but she was far too determined to get her release to listen. "Fuck it." He gripped her hair, pulling her from his neck only to attack her mouth. The kiss could best be described as frenzied. Teeth clashed, tongues dueling, although neither was aiming for control as they continued to furiously suck on each other's lips.

They both heard the sound signal ignored it. Christian was now trying to get his jeans off, might just as well go all the way. Unfortunately, a throat clearance froze the two. "Sorry, sir, but you need to fasten your seatbelt." With a giggle, Ana got off him and took her seat. Christian just groaned and glared at her. He was rock fucking hard with no relief in sight.

"Sorry." She mumbled unconvincingly.

"Uh-huh." He retorted, trying to adjust his hard-on into a more comfortable position. It was a pointless exercise. "You just couldn't wait." He groused.

"I don't recall you stopping me." She picked up her book, ignoring his glare.

"You think I don't know what this is?" He really was pissed.

"What is it?" She didn't look up from her book.

"This is payback for doing the same thing on our way to Antigua."

"I actually forgot about that." She chuckled. "No, that's not what this is. I was daydreaming about the shower we took yesterday." Christian couldn't help the smile that broke. They'd spent the afternoon tackling each other on the beach and had gotten sand in places you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. The shower had started off innocent enough until he tried getting the last remnants of sand from around his balls. Ana found it funny and tried to help, and it led to them on the shower floor fucking. "I just got a little turned on and thought I could relieve the ache."

"Oh." He mumbled, again trying to adjust his hard-on. "I find the afternoon I was trying to pay attention to the stock market is what keeps invading my thoughts," Ana smirked at the thought.

"I outdid myself that day if I do say so myself," Ana boasted. He wholeheartedly agreed with her that was the best blowjob he'd ever received. It helped that he was determined not to give in that afternoon, in the end, he lost and spectacularly so. They'd spent three weeks holed up in a villa on a private beach in Antigua. They ventured out twice during the three weeks, the rest had been spent fucking and relaxing. There were days they didn't get out of bed, and they had loved every minute of it.

Now, it was back to the real world.

"I'm glad you got me to take the extra week off work. The idea of going to work on Monday does not appeal in the least bit." Ana mumbled as they descended the stairs of their private jet. She'd been reluctant to take a month off, but thankfully Jack had been more than happy to give her time off. She had, after all, delivered three books and helped with the marketing before the wedding. It was a well-deserved break.

"There is the barbecue on Sunday, if you aren't up for it we can always cancel." Ana silently laughed at him.

"You are not going to use me to get out of going. Nice try Mr. Grey."

"Had to at least try." He grumbled. He let out a loud moan as they pulled into the underground garage at Escala.

"You really don't want to be back here, do you." Ana chuckled.

"No, we should have stayed until we got bored." He replied, stepping out of the car.

"That could have taken months."

"Precisely," Christian quipped.

"Honestly, as much as I enjoyed our honeymoon, I am glad to be back home. Nothing beats the comfort of your own bed." Ana welcomed the familiarity of the elevator.

"Can't argue with that one." He admitted. "Home sweet home." He murmured as they stepped off the elevator.

* * *

"Shouldn't you be on your way to New York by now?" Christian asked the twins as he and Ana joined their family and friends in the backyard. Ros, Gwen, Jack, Elizabeth, and their kids, and a few others had joined the family barbecue.

"Redeye, Chris, redeye," Ariel answered. "We also did the summer program, so we are way ahead or on par with the handful of people that did the program as well." She added.

"Have you figured out what you want to do?" Ana asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to follow in mom's footsteps," Aurora answered.

"That makes sense. Ella says you have an even better grasp on numbers than she does," Ana said.

"I don't' know about that." Aurora murmured.

"You do, and I'm just slightly better than Chris." Ariel chipped in.

"Strange to think in your family, Christian is the one shit at numbers." Ana's words had everyone laughing. Elliot could be heard above everyone else.

"Woman, I am your husband." Christian groused.

"I know that," Ana chirped.

"So where is the support?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"I will always support you, but also call it like I see it." She said with a shrug. "I'm beyond rubbish at numbers, I don't expect you to tell people otherwise."

"Uh-huh," Christian grumbled as he got up to get some food only to complain even more at the sight of Ryan. "Seriously unless someone is dying I don't want to know. Actually, come to think of it, everyone I care about is here, so I don't want to know." Ryan ignored him and turned to Ella.

"Scott Davies is outside and would like to talk to you."

"It's been what seven years, he was due for a turn-up." William chuckled.

"Seven years, how come I didn't know about it?" Christian questioned.

"He showed up right after the Time magazine article. You two weren't in the country and by the time you got back I had forgotten about it." William said with a shrug. "He was looking for your mother then too." He added.

"Is this the sperm donor?" Ana said, rather innocently. Try as they might not to laugh considering the gravity of the situation, they failed miserably. It was Ana's wide-eyed innocence and the disgust in which the question was asked that did it. The combination was weirdly comical.

"That would be him," Ella answered. "You know what, Ryan send him in." Christian eyebrow hit his hairline, which wasn't hard considering the overgrown mop he was currently sporting.

No one missed the self-conscious form of Scott Davies as he walked toward the gathering. He obviously hadn't expected an audience. Ella couldn't help but think how old he looked, he was only a year older than her, but he'd aged considerably. "Scott, this is a surprise." Ella's friendly demeanor threw him.

"Erm... yes, I was hoping we could talk." He cleared his throat as his voice was beyond hoarse.

"Of course, before we do that. I would like to introduce you to Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey." That took everyone by surprise. "I'm sure this comes as no surprise to you, but my parents and I parted ways when they found out I was pregnant." Surprisingly, it came as a surprise to him. How had she made it without her parents? "I ended up in Michigan, in a rather bad part of town, and managed to get an apartment at seventeen. Then I woke up one morning to find I was spotting so I ended up at a free clinic and Grace was the doctor that saw me. Without realizing it, I had a family, the kind I have always wanted. I was welcomed with open arms..." Ella chuckled. "Had I allowed them, I'd more than likely be living in a gold plated home."

"Really," Carol muttered. "I don't do gold plated. It would have been eighteen carats at least." She quipped much to everyone's amusement.

"I know why you are here, it's written all over you. Your life didn't pan out as expected, that much was obvious when I saw you in Boston. You probably think it's some kind of punishment for abandoning me, but here is the thing. Your actions proved to be the best thing that could have happened to me. I have in some way never regretted you, because without you I wouldn't have this. For a while, I felt conflicted about you, and the first time my husband and I spoke about you, I realized that you did me a favor. It allowed me to get away from my so-called parents. There would be no Christian Richardson Grey without you," Ella said with something akin to trepidation at the thought. Ana shuddered at the thought of it as well. Those words brought out a visceral reaction in everyone.

"I would not have met Grace without your actions. I would not have met William without your actions. Everything that happened was meant to happen as far as I'm concerned, and I know that idea sucks where you are concerned because it didn't work out for you. If you are here to apologize, there is no need. You don't owe me anything if anything, I should be the one thanking you. So, Scott Davies, thank you, and there is nothing to forgive." Ella took William's hands in hers and smiled at him.

William looked up at Scott, the man looked lost, it was clear this was not something he expected. "Thank you," William needed to thank him as well.

Scott Davies finally allowed his eyes to leave Ella's and slowly moved over to his son. A part of him had hoped he could be part of Christian's life, no matter how small. Looking into his son's eyes, it was evident the boy saw a stranger. Christian was looking at a man he didn't know and didn't care to know. With a nod, Scott Davies turned around and left. There was nothing there for him, and his life was his life. His actions at eighteen had no impact, but then again, he already knew that. This just confirmed it.

"A world without you in it... perish the thought," Ariel growled.

"Amen," Aurora whispered.

* * *

Ana sat in a surprisingly beautiful visiting room. It was large, but she was the only visitor today, thanks to Christian. Of course, her security detail was not far. She'd been there for just over ten minutes when two members of staff walked Katherine Kavanagh in. The woman in question leveled a genuine smile at Ana, which she would admit surprised her.

"Thanks for coming, despite my attempts I didn't think you would," Kate said as she rubbed her palms together.

"It appears your level of tenacity never waned." For three years, Kate had sent letter after letter asking Ana to meet with her. Finally, she had caved, and there she was. In truth, her curiosity got the better of her. "You look well."

"Yes, I feel it too. For the longest time, it was easier to blame everybody else for my actions, but at the end of the day, it was all me. I was the one that first convinced my dad I could get close to your husband. I was the one that pushed even when he told me to back off. He made it clear what would happen if things went to hell in a handbasket. When it did, and he followed through, I made every effort to kill him. At first, I was incensed he lived, but now I am actually grateful he lived." Kenneth Kavanagh did indeed live, he woke up from a coma just over a year after his own daughter tried to kill him. He, unfortunately, never made a full recovery. Kenneth was paralyzed from the neck down and needed round the clock care. Another reason why Ana had also caved was because Kenneth died a month ago in his sleep.

I wanted to apologize for my actions. I was so hell-bent on a man who could not stand me, I lost everyone who cared about me in the pursuit of him. I should have been happy for you, but at the time, I was incapable of it. Clarity and hindsight are two of the most seismic feelings you can ever experience. When they hit, it jolts you out of whatever illusion you have surrounded yourself in. The fantasy and dreams fell away, and reality hit. It took me several years get out of the hole I fell in when I realized the consequences of my actions. Strangely my own outcome didn't matter so much as you and my family. I damn near ruined your lives and for what." Shock and awe was the only thing Ana could feel as she listened.

Ana was slow getting out the car as her thoughts were still on Katherine Kavanagh. She had been surprised by Kate and her clarity and acceptance of her actions... The doctors had also assured them that it wasn't a con on Kate's part and that Kate had years earlier accepted her actions and was sorry for them. Ana was happy for her, but in truth, that was where it ended. She wasn't all of a sudden about to accept the woman back into her life. That was not going to happen. That part of her life was done and dusted and there would be no looking back. The front door was yanked open, and she was met with the sheepish look of her last born. "What did you do this time?" She asked with a sigh. It wasn't him if he didn't find some way to piss of his siblings.

"This time, I swear it wasn't me, but no one will give me the benefit of the doubt." He argued.

"It might have something to do with the guilty verdict written all over your face." Theo ran his hands over his face as if that would suddenly persuade her of his innocence.

"Where is that little shit?" Ana stepped aside to allow Theo to continue with his escape.

"Go hide at your grandma's. " She advised. Ella would happily hide him.

"Mom, have you seen Theodore?" Jasmine asked with barely contained fury.

"No, I just walked in. What did he do this time?" He sure as hell was guilty, but she wasn't going to lead her little guy to the gallows no matter how much he deserved it.

Jasmine narrowed her eyes at her mother but said nothing. "He replaced my makeup set with... god knows what. It looked exactly like it always does until I went to use it. You'd think he'd put his creativity to good use." She walked away, grumbling without waiting for a response from Ana. Ana had to admit Theo's brand of pranking bothered on the genius. The previous week he replaced Christian's slippers with a papier-mâché version. Christian only realized when he stepped into them after the shower. The boy was just too brilliant for his own good.

"You can't save him forever, one of these days they will get a hold of him," Christian said as Ana walked into the kitchen.

"I know, but he's still my baby."

"He's a fifteen-year-old Bond villain in the making." Christian retorted.

"I will buy Jasmine a new makeup set. That should quell her anger." Christian shook his head at her. She could be so naïve when it came to the kids.

"So, how did it go?" He finally asked.

"I went, she apologized... it makes no difference to our lives." She shrugged, kicking her shoes off.

"Indeed." Christian agreed, taking her foot onto his lap.

"Where is Ellie?" It was an innocent question.

"She's out with Phillip." He growled.

"Oh, that is lovely." Ana avoided her husband's stare.

"No, it is not. The boy is five years older than her."

"Christian this is Philip Hyde, you've known him practically all his life. And last I checked, Ellie was twenty-one, old enough to date a twenty-six-year-old. Let's not forget, you are six years older than me, Mr. Grey. It is rather hypocritical to complain about this." Ana didn't think this was the time to tell him the two were moving in together.

"Hmm." He grumbled although he continued to rub her foot. "I still don't have to like it." Ana rolled her eyes at him, earning her a smile. He could be such a grumpy old man, but she loved him all the same. She couldn't imagine her life without him and neither could he imagine a life without her.

* * *

AN: I would like to thank a couple of people who do not want to be named for their help while I recovered from surgery. Without them, I would have had to put this story on hold while I recovered. Thanks for reading and all the wonderful reviews. CJ.


	29. Chapter 29- Ellie's Wedding

"I have several tuxes, why can't I just wear one of those and be done with it," Christian grumbled as Ella opened the door practically pushing him inside.

"It's your daughter's wedding, the least you can do is get a new tux for the wedding, and you do not own a tux in navy blue, or am I wrong." He grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath. Ella raised an eyebrow at him, and he promptly lowered his eyes. It didn't matter how old he was, his mother was still his mother and would forever scare him.

"Sorry, I'm late, unexpected traffic." William kissed his wife on the cheek and clapped his son on the back.

"William?" A voice called from across the shop. He turned to look, entirely at a loss as to who she was. Ella, though knew precisely who that was, she would remember those beady eyes anywhere. Barbara Prestwick had clearly had a lot of work done, but those beady eyes of her could not be altered.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" William asked, looking at Ella, hoping she had some answers. She was not going to give Prestwick the satisfaction of letting her know she remembered her.

"Barbara, Barbara Prestwick." She looked a little too elated for someone who the object of her affection did not recognize.

"No, no way… what the fuck happened to your face?" William clamped his mouth shut, but it was a little too late. Ella and Christian both bit their lip to keep from laughing. "Erm, you remember Ella, my wife and son Christian." William quickly diverted attention from his faux par.

Barbara completely ignored Ella and zeroed in on Christian. "Oh my, Christian Grey, I don't think there is anyone in this country who isn't aware of you," Barbara said in a simpering tone that had Ella thoroughly amused. "Oh, I should introduce you to my grandson, he is hoping for an internship at GEH, he has his interview tomorrow."

"Really, applying for an internship at the company owned by the boy I was too stupid to abort." Ella was not going to let her forget those words.

"No darling, if I recall, her exact words were 'weren't smart enough to abort the bastard.'" William added.

"I was erm… a stupid teenager back then, those words should never have left my mouth, and for that, I am deeply sorry." None of them believed a word of it.

"I find that hard to believe, considering you have not even acknowledged my mother, who is standing right between the two men you've been fawning over." Christian retorted angrily. No one treated his mother like shit and got anything from him.

Whatever her response, it was cut short by the arrival of her grandson and the Grey's personal tailor.

"Gerald, I have brought them kicking and screaming for their final fitting." Ella placed a hand on each back, pushing her men forward. Barbara Prestwick was long forgotten as they moved to the private fitting area.

"Yes, I can see that." Gerald chuckled. He knew Christian, especially, was not a fan of these fittings.

"I believe I have lost a little weight, so you might have to take the waist in a little," William muttered proudly. Ella rolled her eyes, knowing the man had barely put on any weight to begin with. He'd gone on quite the health kick in the last few months after a friend suffered a near-fatal heart attack.

"You know Christian Grey." Barbara's stare slowly moved from the Greys to her grandson.

"No, I know his adoptive father, we were at school together." She murmured her eyes back on the Greys as they disappeared around the corner.

"Well, you can introduce me." He said eagerly.

"Not today." She whispered. What else could she say? If she was honest with herself, she was still bitter about the trailer trash pregnant teen landing William. Worse, the bastard turned out to be one of the most powerful men in the world. GEH was a global powerhouse her grandson would be lucky to work for.

"What do you mean not today, they are here you were just speaking to them. I might never get this chance. Do you know how many people apply for internships at GEH every year? Only ten percent get in, and most of them have an in." Eric looked incensed at his grandmother.

"Look, I've never liked Ella, she has never liked me, I doubt after she's done telling her son about me, you will stand a hope in hell of getting that internship. It sure as fuck didn't help that I called him a bastard."

"Dad is right about you, you really are a nasty piece of work." He retorted angrily, before storming out, the suit he had bought for his interview left on the counter.

"She turned around and found Ella on the phone laughing at whatever was said on the other end. Years of resentment boiling to the surface, resentment she could do nothing about if she wanted to continue to live the life she had become accustomed to. The Greys had enough clout and power to render her fifth husband's business a worthless one by the end of the week. Despite that, she continued to stare at Ella, she noticed the lack of weight on Ella's small stature, the odd gray hair at her temples, and despite the wrinkles, Ella Grey looked younger than she did.

Ella looked up to find Barbara staring at her, the contempt evident, not that it made an iota of difference to Ella's life. "What do you think?" William took a turn in front of his wife.

"As handsome as ever, even more so say if I do say myself." His latest health kick had done wonders for his overall demeanor.

"Good, with you looking like the day we met, I have to up my game." He teased, earning an eye roll from his wife.

"I think the eyes we have on us tells me I have to raise my game." William looked up to find Barbara Prestwick's eyes still on him.

"Fuck off." He snarled, shocking both women. Ella just stared at him in amused disbelief, while Barbara took one more look at them and left the shop. "You'd think after fifty years she would have moved on." He muttered just as Christian appeared in his tux.

"Now, look at you." Ella praised. "Honestly, nothing beats a tailored suit." She brushed her hand over the shoulder. Christian knew she was right, but he was not going to admit to it, not out loud anyway.

* * *

"Dad, are you okay?" Christian had been trying to get his attention for a minute, but he seemed miles away. They had decided to have lunch at the Mile High club.

"Yeah, just thinking about Barbara Prestwick. After half a century, she is still so bitter." He could not imagine living life holding onto something from his teens that made him that resentful. He took a bite of his burger.

"Who is she?" Christian had wondered, especially after her obvious contempt towards his mother.

"You could say she was my Katherine Kavanagh," Ella smirked. Christian's eyes widened at the revelation.

"That's rather apt," William mumbled in agreement. "I always knew she had a thing for me, but Barbara was such a horrible little shit to anyone she didn't see as useful to her, which was a lot of people. I was not about to be associated with such a thing, and worse, your grandmother would have castrated me if I had gone near her. One day Grace started talking about this girl who had come to the clinic; she was talking to Carrick about helping her finish high school. For almost a month, Grace just kept singing your mother's praises. How she had saved the clinic money, how much she could do with ten dollars, so one afternoon after school, I stopped by the clinic. I had heard enough about Ella to have an idea of her personality, a far cry from the likes of Barbara Prestwick, but I was blown away by her beauty as well. We quickly became friends." William took his wife's hand in his.

"It was obvious from the way he looked at me, he liked me a little more than I was ready for. Barbara Prestwick saw it too, and… her words cut deep. Your grandmother told me not to pay attention to her, as she was jealous. At the time, I could not figure out what she could possibly be jealous of. When I looked at her, I saw a beautiful, rich girl, the kind of girl William should be chasing after, not a pregnant plain Jane living in a run-down part of town." She played with the stem of her wine glass.

"Mom," Christian muttered softly. It hurt to hear his mother talk about herself in such a manner.

"I thought very little of myself, and it wasn't helped by the lack of any real parental figure when I was growing up. Meeting the Greys slowly changed my view of myself. By the time I had you, I had some belief in myself. Anyway, spending time with the Greys meant I saw her on occasion, her parents were close friends of Carrick and Grace. She came by with them often hoping to see William, and her nastiness was only made worse by William paying little attention to her and doting on me." Christian thought his mother sounded a little smug, and rightly so.

William chuckled. "Yeah, she hated that, especially as it was obvious I had a thing for Ella, and Ella was not the least bit interested." He stole a fry off his wife's plate.

"I was interested, I just had a lot on my plate and adding a boyfriend to that was one too many things to juggle." Ella leaned into him. "Anyway, it all came to a head one Sunday afternoon, you were around eighteen months old."

"Would that be the afternoon she made the comment about you not being smart enough to abort me." Christian groused, also stealing a handful of fries from his mother's plate.

"Yep, that was the afternoon. Barbara's parents, unlike the Kavanaghs, had their heads screwed on even if their daughter was a nasty piece of work. They dragged her out of the house, and we saw her on occasion, but she avoided us. I later found out her father had cut her allowance, taken her car, and apparently, the apartment she had her eye on her parents had vetoed. Her father bought her something she considered beneath her as punishment for her behavior that afternoon." Ella finished with a shrug.

"I hope to God she hasn't moved here, I really don't think I want to ever see that face again." This time Ella and Christian laughed freely. "I mean, could she not have found a decent surgeon. Amy Wolfenden has had work done, but you could never tell if you didn't know her." Christian nodded, agreeing with his father's words.

"I don't think she has moved here." Ella murmured. "From what I could hear, I believe she came with her grandson to interview for an internship at GEH. He was trying to get her to talk to you on his behalf, that conversation did not end well. He called her a nasty piece of work."

"Clearly, she has not changed." William poured himself another glass of water. He could really do with a glass of wine, but he was on a health kick until at least the wedding.

"I have to leave you two, I promised Ana I would pick her up today." Christian threw his garment bag over his shoulder.

"No new CPO?" William questioned, stealing another fry. Ella had ordered a large portion of fries knowing full well William and Christian would take a third of it.

"No, she really did not like the last one at all." It had been a problem ever since Sawyer left as her CPO and took over as head of security at GEH. He understood, he hadn't fared well when Taylor retired either. He had gone through seven CPOs before he found one he could tolerate. Eventually, Evan became just as good as Taylor in his eyes. "I will see you two later." He kissed both on the cheek, stealing another fry.

"Why did you just order dessert when you knew you wanted fries," Ella grumbled. She had told herself she wouldn't complain, but this habit of theirs was damn right, infuriating. God knows it was the one thing she and Ana hated most about their men.

"I didn't want fries, not a lot anyway." He jumped out of her range when her hand shot out. "Still got it." He quipped as he strolled out of the restaurant.

The drive to SIP was a familiar one, Ana had been running SIP for the last four months, Jack had taken somewhat of a backseat to the day to day running of his company to spend more time enjoying the fruits of his labor. It was something Christian had decided to do as well in about a decade or so. If Ellie and Phillip turn out to be anything like he and Ana, they might come back from their honeymoon pregnant, despite the depo shot. He certainly wasn't about to spend so much time working, leaving the doting grandfather role to Jack. That was not going to happen; if anyone was going to be the best grandfather, it would be him. He was brought out of his competitive musings by the car door opening.

Ana got in with a satisfied sigh. "Oh, you got your tux." She cheered. As far as Christian was concerned, everyone was too damn happy about Ellie getting married. She was too young, but every time he said that he was reminded, Ana was the same age when he married her. Worse, he had a great marriage, so he couldn't exactly tell his little girl her getting married at a young age was a bad idea.

"Christian, she is getting married this weekend, no matter how much you sulk, get over it." Ana looked more amused than angry.

"I don't see why they have to get married now. They moved in together less than a year ago, then got engaged four months later and now marriage. What's the hurry?" He grumbled then paled. "Oh, God, she's not pregnant, is she? I am too young to be a grandpa." He realized mere seconds ago he had expected grandchildren, but he was allowed to vacillate.

"For the love of all that is holy, calm down, she is not pregnant. Even if Ellie was pregnant, she is in a relationship, financially secure, and about to get married."

"You are not very supportive." He grumbled, earning an eye roll.

"And you are impossible." She retorted as the car pulled into their driveway.

It's no surprise when Theo comes running out, headed for his grandparents to hide. This time, it was an enraged looking Paisley Hyde who seemed to have been on the receiving end of whatever prank Theo played this time. "What did he do now?" Ana asked as she stepped out of the SUV.

"I caught him in my room about to do God knows what. Aunt Ana, I love you, but I am going to kill that boy of yours." Paisley warned, earning a chuckle from Christian, who quickly schooled his features when she turned her glare on him. She looked so much like her mother when she got angry.

"Paisley, honey, he is a sixteen-year-old boy, who is quite good with his hands, were he around your age, I'm sure you would have appreciated it." This time Christian didn't have a hope in hell of stopping his laughter. Paisley looked like a tomato at Ana's teasing. Everyone knew Theo had a crush on her, but the twenty-five-year-old was clearly too old for the boy. Ana suspected that it didn't matter to Theo or his father. Yes, this was the same man having a conniption because his twenty-two-year-old daughter was getting married, the double standards she thought.

"Maybe, you could teach him a few other creative ways to use those hands." Christian teased. If possible, Paisley's blush got even more noticeable.

"You two are just as bad as he is. Now I know where he got it from." She stormed away from the pair as they laughed.

"Shame, there is such an age gap." Christian mused out loud.

"Sometimes, your level of hypocrisy and double standard is outstanding. One Hyde isn't good enough for your daughter, but the other is good enough for your son. Honestly, Christian, sometimes I don't know what to do with you."

"I didn't say he wasn't good enough, I just think they are getting married a little too soon." She rolled her eyes at his response, knowing he was full of shit. No one was good enough for his girls, no matter who they were.

* * *

Ellie watched as her great grandmother Carol pulled Theo aside and had strong words with him. She had just turned one hundred years old, but you wouldn't know it. God knows, she was the only one that could keep Theo in line. No one had time to deal with his pranks this week, Ellie might just kill him if he tried. The bus arrived just as she was done. The entire Grey and Hyde clan and some friends were headed to Montpellier in the south of France. Ellie and Phillip's relationship had changed the weekend her father bought a vineyard there. She had gone with her father and a few people from GEH to look everything over and sign the necessary paperwork. The week together in such a beautiful place, and a little too much wine had turned their friendship into a sexual relationship. What she, in all honesty, thought was a little holiday romance turned into something serious when they got back. With Ellie still at Harvard, she didn't have much hope for anything more, but Phil had surprised her showing up at her apartment her first weekend back at college. He worked in M&A under Ros at GEH, and barely had time for much, so him turning up had been a good indication of how serious he was about her. They'd moved in together weeks after her graduation much to her father's displeasure. She knew deep down he loved Phil and thought the world of him, but she was still his little girl no matter how old she was.

"A thousand dollars on him having Phil kidnapped," Aurora whispered to Ariel.

"I will take that bet." Ariel laughed.

"Hey." Ellie glared at them. "It's not funny." She fumed.

"Who said we are joking, he tried it with us," Ariel added. Ellie wasn't sure if her aunty was lying or not.

"Just giving you a heads up," Aurora said just as Ella walked over.

"Is it true dad tried to have uncle Tom and Steven kidnapped." She asked her grandma.

"Don't worry, he will do no such thing this time." Ella's answer didn't help.

"I believe Sawyer is having an eye kept on Phil at all times," Cindy added nonchalantly.

"DAD," Ellie screamed. All four women looked at each other and burst into peals of laughter.

"And I'm the troublesome one," Elliot said as he shook his head at them though he could not help his smile.

"Oh, please, as if you will not ask him to help you kidnap the poor sap who tries to marry Aubrey," Mia said despite her eyes glued to her iPad.

"He will do no such thing." Cindy glared at her husband. "I thought you were already at the vineyard?" Cindy turned her attention to Mia after Elliot quickly moved away.

"I didn't see the point in flying out a day early." She said, her eyes still on her iPad. She'd planned the wedding and was still organizing at this last stage. The wedding was going to go off without a hitch, even if she had to kill someone to make it happen. The family alone kept her in business. When she looked around at the rest of Christian's kids, Jack's daughter, her own, Elliot's, and Disney's kids, she will be gainfully self-employed for a good long while.

Soon, they were in the air on a private charter to Montpellier- Méditerranée airport. "I don't know about you, but I am really hoping for a grandkid within the year." Jack murmured to Christian, who growled in answer. Both Elizabeth and Ana rolled their eyes at their husband's actions. Jack had done nothing but rile Christian up since their kids got together.

"Keep it up, old man," Christian warned. Jack was eight years older than Christian, but one would think he had decades on him with the way Christian talked about Jack's age.

"We both know I can keep up with you just fine. If I recall, I finished the marathon a good two minutes and fourteen seconds ahead of you." Jack retorted.

"Everyone is worried about Theo behaving when they should be worried about those two," Elizabeth mumbled, glaring at the two men. Ana had long ago given up on them and their childish antics. Of course, both men were protective of the other's family as much as they were of their own. Jack had fired an assistant who got handsy with Ellie while she interned at SIP, not before breaking the pricks nose. Phillip and Paisley had spent enough time in their home when Jack and Elizabeth were out of town working on getting other branches of the Independent Publishing houses up and running. The two women talked, occasionally stopping to listen to their husband's bicker.

* * *

After nearly twenty-four hours, the group arrived at the vineyard, to prepare for the wedding. Christian found himself on the patio, despite the early evening almost everyone was in bed. The near nineteen-hour flight and a stopover for refueling had taken it out of everyone. He was used to flying even longer distances.

"Hey, dad. Can't sleep." Ellie grabbed herself a glass of orange juice and joined him on the patio.

"Not with your mother snoring up a storm." He teased.

Ellie giggled. "I doubt that very much." She whispered.

"I remember when you would cry your little lungs out every time you saw me in a suit. I could not leave for work when you were awake." Christian remembered those days with fondness. "I ended up changing GEH's maternity leave policy for men. I gave them six months' leave after my experience. I was in a position to stay at home if my little girl did not want me going to work, most people aren't. Of course, I had some idiot who came into work a mere five weeks later. We started taking bets on how long his marriage would last. When he realized how badly it appeared, he took his bag and coat and run back home. Phillip told me he told his wife we couldn't find some paperwork and he had to come and print off his copy from his computer for us, not that he had run back to work leaving her alone with the baby when he didn't have to." They both laughed.

"If Phil tried anything like that, God help him," Ellie warned.

"You are your mother's daughter." Ellie Grace Grey had his hair and eyes, but she took after Ana in every other way, looks and personality. "Your mother did not give two shits who I was. I'm either getting my ass kissed, or people just seem to lose their ability to form coherent sentences around me." Christian smiled.

"You know, every time anyone talks about you and mom meeting, I feel as though I'm not getting the joke," Ellie complained. All she knew was that her mom went to interview him on behalf of a sick friend.

"Let me grab my laptop." Christian bolted up the stairs to his bedroom. Ana was sprawled out on the bed, snoring softly. He got back downstairs with his laptop. "Okay, here we go. I haven't listened to this in years."

'_So, Mr. Grey, to what would you say you owe your success.' _

"Oh my God, that is mom. This is the interview." Ellie's eyes lit up.

"Yep, the interview is not the interesting part. It's the conversation that took place after the interview."

Ellie chuckled after listening to the entire conversation. "How did you get mom to date you after that." Knowing her mother as well as she did, it was a real wonder.

"I didn't, your grandma put in a good word for me, and even then she only agreed because your uncle José had a show she wanted to make sure I attended." Ellie cracked up laughing.

"How did the date go?"

Christian sighed. "I was an idiot. I got it all wrong, but it taught your mother and me the wonders of communication."

"After weeks of groveling and doing better, we finally met and talked. I took her gliding and a weekend on the yacht. The rest, as they say, is history." Christian finished with a shrug.

"I can't believe you thought mom was dating Uncle J." Ellie laughed.

"Hey, have you seen the man, especially that hair." He muttered.

"Don't remind me, and what is so unfair, they barely have to do anything with it. Phil wakes up with his hair looking like that while mine looks like a bird's nest." Ellie complained.

"Hey, there is something rather endearing about bird's nest hair. I should know I wake up to your mother's every day." He said fondly. "Anyway, despite that mistake, Jack and Elisabeth were full of great advice."

"Wow, my in-laws saved your ass." She teased.

"Indeed, they did. For the love of God, do not tell Jack I said that." He pleaded.

"Too late." Christian groaned. "I am glad to hear you acknowledge my invaluable advice when you were screwing up your chance with Ana." Jack sounded as superior as he looked.

"And, I bid you goodnight." Ellie left them to it, their bickering was only going to get worse. She could hear them go at it as she made her way up the stairs.

* * *

"Say the word, and I will have you out of here faster than you can say I don't want to marry him," Christian whispered as they waited to walk down the aisle.

"I heard that." Paisley groused. "Uncle Chris, we both know just how miserable I can make Theo's life." She warned. She'd given Theo the silent treatment once, both he and Ana had to beg Paisley on his behalf. Christian even went so far as to buy her an Aston Martin instead of the regular company car. You'd think with both Hyde children working for him, they would kiss his ass a little, but no such luck.

"When it's your turn, and your father is acting like the nutcase he is…"

"I will have her back," Ellie said as Paisley walked out.

"You look wonderful." He said instead as Pachelbel Canon in D started.

"I do, don't I." She retorted, earning a chuckle from him.

Christian had no issues with Ellie marrying Phillip, he was a man that took after his father in every way, even that shampoo commercial hair. He had risen through the ranks at GEH through hard work, innovative thinking, and nothing else. He loved his daughter and treated her like a princess, but she was still his little girl, and no father would ever be entirely comfortable with their daughter getting married.

He would admit, the look in Phillip's eyes as he walked Ellie down the aisle reminded him of his own wedding day and seeing Ana for the first time.

The guest laughed when he was a little reluctant to let go of Ellie. "She is in safe hands," Phillip assured him with an amused look. Christian nodded and joined Ana, who just smiled, shaking her head at him.

"Now, you know how it feels, and you've got one more to go." Ray quipped.

"Daddy, quiet," Ana warned. Though, they could all tell she was slightly amused by the whole thing.

The ceremony went smoothly, Christian noted Ana gripped his hand a little tighter when the obligatory question every one feared was asked. He was not going to object, but by the way, every family member looked at him, it was evident they weren't sure. He rolled his eyes at them and watched Phillip Hyde suck his daughter's face off. "Now he's just doing that to annoy me." He grumbled.

"Oh please, I'm sure far worse goes on behind doors," Ana muttered, knowing full well she was not helping his already grumpy disposition.

Of course, no one would know he was the least bit grumpy when he toasted the couple. "The first time I met Phillip, he was four years old and had one hell of a crush on Ana." The room laughed as Phillip sunk into his chair. "When I think about it, I can't be the least bit surprised he married her daughter." The guest thoroughly enjoyed his discomfort while he sunk further into his chair. "That little boy turned out to be a man I am proud to call my son in law, before that he was as close to me as my own boy. I could not ask for a better man for my little girl. When I met the love of my life, I made such a mess of things."

"More than once." Elliot piped up, earning a slap to the back of the head from Cindy.

"Yes, more than once, but thanks to Jack and Elizabeth, I still got the girl. If like me, you listened to your parents, your marriage, though it will have its ups and downs, you will come through it unscathed. I'm not going to lie, it's a little painful to give my little princess away, but I know she's in safe hands. To Ellie and Phillip." The room toasted the couple.

"I will admit when that speech started, I was a little concerned," Ana admitted as they danced.

"O ye, of little faith. I'm hurt you think I would…"

"Really, Christian, you tried to have her run away seconds from her walking down the aisle." Ana raised an eyebrow at him.

"She told you, uh." He had the decency to look chastised.

"Of course, she did. I feel for Jasmine when it's her turn." Ana lamented.

"I'm not getting married." The daughter in question said as she walked past.

"Oh, thank God." Christian blurted out."She's nineteen, she could very well change her mind. I recall Ellie making you the same promise." Ana reminded him, although Ellie made that promise when she was seven.

"Mrs. Grey, please do not dash my hopes," He groused.

"As if I would ever do such a thing." He twirled her around the floor, his eye on occasion fell on Ellie, whose smile had not faded in the least. The most any parent wanted for their kid was their happiness, and Ellie appeared to be the epitome of happiness.

"We did well." He murmured.

"We did, didn't we." She agreed. The two swayed on the dance floor among family and friends. Despite giving away his little girl, he could not be happier, and it was thanks to the woman in his arms.


End file.
